«  967 


8 


AMERICAN  EDUCATION  SERIES 
GEORGE  DRA  YTON  STRA  YER.  GENERAL  EDITOR 


AMERICAN  EDUCATION  SERIES 
GEORGE  DRAYTON  STRAYER.  GENERAL  EDITOR 


SUCCESSFUL  TEACHING 

IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS 


BY 
MARVIN  S.  PITTMAN,  PH.D. 

HEAD   OF  DEPARTMENT    OF  RURAL  EDUCATION, 

MICHIGAN  STATE   NORMAL  COLLEGE, 

YPSILANTI,   MICHIGAN 


46075 

AMERICAN  BOOK  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI  CHICAGO 

BOSTON  ATLANTA 


Copyright,  ig22,  by 
AMERICAN  BOOK  COMPANY 

PITIMAN— SUCCESSFUL  TEACHING 
UADE  IN  U.S.A. 
E.P.      2 


LB 

EDITOR'S    INTRODUCTION 

If   our  American  public   school   system   is   to   provide 

adequately  for  the  education  of  all  boys  and  girls,   the 

tv-  rural  schools  of  the  United  States  must  be  improved.    It 

t^   is  important  in  the  consideration  of  this  problem  that  we 

^    discuss  methods  of  finance  and  of  administration.    It  is 

even  more  important  that  well-trained  teachers  be  placed 

in  every   classroom,   and  that   those  already  at  work  in 

rural  schools  grow  increasingly  more  efficient. 

In  this  volume  the  author  has  presented  to  rural  school- 
j     teachers  a  record  of  achievement  by  a   group   of   rural 
-    school-teachers    which  is    not  only  enlightening  but  in- 
spiring.   The  book  could  not  have  been  written  by  one 
who  approached  the  problem  as  a  theorist.    It  is  out  of 
a  rich  experience  in  achieving  the  ideals  set  forth,  that  Dr. 
Pittman  has  written  to  the  rural  school-teachers   of  the 
,  United  States. 

)  "Successful  Teaching  in  Rural  Schools"  meets  the 
j  standard  set  for  the  American  Education  Series  because 
^  it  contributes  directly  to  the  improvement  of  the  practice 
of  those  who  work  in  rural  schools.  It  is  confessedly  a 
book  which  grows  out  of  the  optimism  and  enthusiasm 
of  one  who  has  found  it  possible  to  help  rural  school- 
teachers to  achieve  success. 

The  author  has  most  fortunately  used  the  letter  written 
by  one  teacher  to  another  as  the  form  of  presenting  his 
contribution.  The  genuineness  of  the  problems  which  are 
discussed  and  the  reahty  of  the  solutions  proposed  could 

5 

\ 


0  EDITOR  S    INTRODUCTION 

not  have  been  so  well  expressed  had  the  author  followed 
the  usual  topical  method  of  discussion.  The  references 
which  are  given  and  the  questions  which  are  offered  for 
discussion  make  the  book  most  available  for  courses  on 
rural  school  problems  in  teacher- training  institutions  or 
for  the  courses  organized  under  the  direction  of  state 
reading  circles. 

George  D.  Strayer 


PREFACE 

The  story  which  follows  is  a  description  of  an  experi- 
ment in  which  an  attempt  was  made  to  ^pply  present  day 
educational  theory  and  scientific  educational  principles 
and  technique  to  the  most  difiicult  American  educational 
situation — the  one-teacher  rural  school.  The  story  is 
based  upon  fact.  Only  enough  liberty  has  been  taken  with 
the  facts  to  fill  out  a  fairly  general  treatment  of  elementary 
education  as  it  is  applied  by  the  classroom  teacher.  The 
hope  of  the  author  is  that  he  may  transmit  to  other  chil- 
dren, parents,  and  teachers  the  spirit  of  the  children, 
parents,  and  teachers  of  the  fifteen  rural  schools  which 
made  this  story  possible. 

The  author  is  indebted  to  so  many  people  for  their 
contributions  to  this  book  that  no  attempt  will  be  made 
to  name  them.  Many  of  them  appear,  in  spirit,  in  the 
stor>\  I  shall  leave  the  reader  to  thank  them  when  they 
make  their  contribution  to  his  life  as  they  have  to  mine. 

The  author  and  the  publishers  wish  to  acknowledge 
their  obligation  to  Mr.  Henry  Holcomb  Bennett  for  per- 
mission to  use  his  copyright  poem,  "The  Flag  Goes  By," 
as  the  basis  of  a  demonstration  lesson.  M.  S.  P. 


M 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     Martha  Sets  her  House  in  Order  and  Philos- 
ophizes ON  the  Needs  of  Rural  Schools      .       ii 
II.     Martha's    Prayer    is    Answered    but    She    Is 

Frightened  by  the  Answer 17 

III.  The  Professor  Appears  at  Martha's  School    .       20 

IV.  Martha    Discovers    the    Practical  Value    or 

Theoretical  Tests         27 

V.     Preparation  for  the  Teachers'  Meeting    .      .  37 
VI.    The  Teachers'  Club  Proves  Itself  a  Working 

Organization 46 

VII.     Mr.    Moore    Writes    about    How    to    Avoid 

Disciplinary  Difficulties  in  the  School      .  68 

VIII.     Language  Holds  the  Center  of  the  Stage  78 
IX.    The  History  and    Civics  Committee    Make    a 

Report gi 

X.     Community  Teamwork no 

XL     A   New   Type    of    Spelling  Match  Occurs   at 

Warren 120 

XII.     Martha  Delves  into  the  Project  Method.  i3<i« 
XIII.     Martha    Makes    Discoveries    about    Improve- 
ments IN  Arithmetic 149 

^  XIV.    The  Children  Study  Geography  from  the  An- 
gle of  Their  Own  Homes 158 

XV.     Martha    has    a    Penmanship    Revival    in-  Her 

School 174 

Martha  Rejoices  over  Oral  Readin-g  Work   .  182 

Teaching  a  Po^m 188 

The    Committee  ,  on    Agriculture    Tell    How 

They  Are  Teaching  It 200 

The  Community  Organizes        214 

"Health  and  Happiness"  Hold  Full  Sway.      .  223 

9 


lO 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXI,    What  the  Hygiene  Committee  Said  ....  234 

XXII.     Spelling  and  the  Forming  of  Habits     .      .      .  245 

XXIII.  Martha   Tells    of  the  Newspaper — The  Zone 

Pacemaker 253 

XXIV.  What  is  Supervision   Worth? 265 

XXV.    The  Position  Seeks  the  Man 284 


CHAPTER   I 

MARTHA    SETS    HER    HOUSE    IN    ORDER    AND    PHILOSOPHIZES 
ON   THE   NEEDS    OF   THE   RURAL   SCHOOLS 

September  3 
Dear  Hilda: 

Here  I  am  once  more  back  at  old  Rondell.  For  the 
third  time  the  early  September  days  have  found  me  setting 
my  house  in  order.  It  is  no  small  task  either,  for  during 
the  summer  season  a  Mid-Western  rural  school  building 
serves  a  variety  of  purposes.  Roving  harvest  hands  find 
it  the  oasis  in  the  desert.  The  secret  councils  of  the  Royal 
Order  of  Boy  Errantry  hold  their  midnight  conclaves 
there.  Such  of  the  animal  kingdom  as  desire  a  temporary 
shelter  fmd  there  a  convenient  place  of  refuge. 

Mr.  Inkle  was  at  the  schoolhouse  this  morning  and 
mowed  the  yard.  This  afternoon  some  of  the  children  and 
I  scoured  the  floor,  dusted  the  pictures,  arranged  the  books 
in  the  bookcase  and  hung  the  curtains.  Mrs.  Worthy 
had  laundered  them  for  us  during  the  summer.  We  did 
a  few  other  things  to  make  the  place  habitable  when  we 
return  to  our  school  work  next  Monday  morning. 

I  had  two  pleasant  surprises  when  I  got  back  yesterday. 
The  first  was  that  the  school  board  had  decided  to  have 
nine  months  of  school  this  year  instead  of  eight  for  which 
I  had  contracted  at  the  close  of  the  term  last  spring.  The 
second  was  that  my  salary  had  been  raised  from  eighty  to 
one  hundred  dollars  per  month.    What  do  you  think  of 

II 


12 


SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 


that?  When  I  heard  it,  I  almost  fainted  from  surprise. 
When  I  asked  why  they  did  it,  Mr.  Inkle  said  that  the 
farmers  had  had  to  raise  the  salary  of  the  harvest  hands 
twenty-five  per  cent  during  the  season  and  that  the  board 
thought  that  I  was  a  pretty  good  harvest  hand.  He  said 
the  children  of  the  community  are  the  finest  crop  that  the 
community    grows.     "Besides,"   he    said,   "I  understand 


MARTHA  AND  HILDA  WORKING  ON  THE  COOK  CAR 


that  you  have  been  pulling  down  a  hundred  dollars  per 
month  ever  since  the  close  of  school  as  chief  cook  for  a 
threshing  crew.  We  thought  if  you  are  worth  a  hundred 
dollars  as  a  cook  for  fifteen  men,  you  ought  to  be  worth 
as  much  as  teacher  and  part-time  cook  for  fifteen  children. 
I  am  sure  you  work  as  hard  in  the  winter  as  you  do  in  the 
summer." 

That  sort  of  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  school  board 
causes  me  to  want  to  continue  to  be  a  teacher.  There  are 
some  things,  though,  Hilda,  that  make  me  want  to 
''chuck  the  job  and  take  to  a  cook  car  for  keeps."  It  is 
not  the  lack  of  pay  or  the  absence  of  a  sort  of  appreciation. 


MARTHA  SETS  HER  HOUSE  IN  ORDER         I3 

It  is  the  absence  of  professional  companionship,  contact, 
and  inspiration. 

You  and  I  had  lots  of  fun  this  summer  planning  our 
meals  even  though  there  was  a  very  narrow  menu  possible. 
The  difficulty  actually  added  to  the  interest  of  the  task. 
Planning  the  meal  with  you  and  then  watching  the  effect 
of  it  on  the  men  was  worth  almost  as  much  to  me  as  the 
hundred  dollars  that  I  received.  I  enjoyed  the  work  and 
forgot  the  pay.  That  is  what  I  need  in  the  school  work — 
someone  to  help  me  plan,  someone  to  inspire  my  plan, 
someone  to  appreciate,  in  an  intelligent  manner,  the 
things  that  I  plan  and  perform.  I  do  not  want,  merely, 
general,  blind  appreciation.  I  want  appreciation  of  par- 
ticular planning  and  performing. 

Last  summer  I  looked  forward  to  the  meals  at  which 
we  had  cream  cake,  with  almost  as  much  enthusiasm  as 
did  old  red  Ole  Hanson  himself  for  I  knew  how  much  he 
would  appreciate  that  meal.  It  was  always  a  joy  to  serve 
wieners  and  sauerkraut  to  Fritzie  Reitz,  macaroni  and 
cheese  to  Rafael  Spataro,  and  hot  biscuits  and  molasses  to 
old  long  "Alabam"  Smith,  for  I  knew  that  it  would  make 
each  one  feel  that  he  was  at  home  once  again.  If  each  one, 
when  his  home  dish  was  served,  said:  "Miss  Martha, 
this  is  just  like  mother  used  to  make,"  then  I  knew  that 
as  a  cook  I  had  "arrived,"  for  each  of  them  was  an  in- 
telligent critic  of  his  own  home  dish.  Would  that  we 
had  intelligent  critics  in  the  school  work,  who  have  an 
appetite  for  good  teaching  as  those  boys  had  for  good 
food,  and  who  have  human  qualities  that  have  lost  noth- 
ing by  being  transported  from  the  dinner  table  to  the 
schoolroom. 

Successful  T— 2 


14  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

The  trouble  with  this  rural  school  work  in  the  Middle 
West — and  in  the  whole  country,  if  I  am  any  judge— is 
that  the  teachers  are  too  far  apart  for  companionship. 
To  begin  with,  we  are  usually  a  lot  of  high  school  girls 
who  are  blessed  chiefly  with  youth,  romantic  notions,  and 
a  desire  for  companionship.  We  are  very  plastic,  capable 
of  being  made  or  marred  very  easily  and  very  quickly. 
If  we  meet  the  right  influences,  we  become  socially  useful 
and  personally  noble;  if  we  meet  the  wrong  influences,  too 
many  of  us,  socially  and  personally,  wither  and  die. 

About  the  only  social  life  we  have  out  here  is  the  barn 
dance  and  that,  according  to  my  observation,  is  not  the 
sort  of  atmosphere  in  which  great  teachers  grow. 

I  do  not  know,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  if  we  had  some 
one  who  would  organize  these  rural  teachers  into  little 
social,  educational  groups,  in  which  they  would  do  some 
educational  planning  and  performing,  and  some  plain, 
ordinary,  wholesome  playing  of  a  sort  that  young  teachers, 
considered  as  young  human  beings,  would  enjoy,  it  might 
change  the  whole  rural  educational  and  social  situation. 
I  do  not  know  how  it  could  be  done.  It  is  very  presump- 
tuous in  me,  certainly,  to  be  even  talking  about  it  when 
all  of  the  big  educators,  from  Theodore  Roosevelt  and  his 
Country  Life  Commission  down  to  the  county  superintend- 
ents of  the  country,  have  been  devoting  themselves  to 
this  problem  ever  since  1907.  But,  presumptuous  or  not, 
I  think  I  have  some  ideas  about  it.  I  beheve  that  one  of 
the  troubles  is  that  too  much  of  the  country  life  work 
has  been  done  from  afar — New  York  City,  Washington, 
and  at  our  national,  state,  and  county  educational  meet- 
ings.   Too  much  of  it  has  been  on  paper  and  too  Uttle  on 


MARTHA  SETS  HER  HOUSE  IN  ORDER         1$ 

the  soil.    Too  much  has  been  big  talk  about  it.    We  need 
some  one  actually  to  do  something  about  it. 

Doubtless,  Hilda,  you  think  by  this  time  that  I  am 
trying  to  get  you  to  turn  educational  reformer  and  do 
the  impossible.  Well,  if  you  should  happen  to  have  a  plan, 
suppose  you  quietly  put  it  to  the  test.  If  it  works,  then 
tell  the  world  about  it.  That  would  be  an  interesting 
change  in  educational  practice. 

Gloriously  gloomy, 

Martha 


HILDA'S   MEDITATIONS 

1.  Should  country  school  buildings  and  grounds  have  a  care- 
taker during  the  summer  months  to  prevent  vandalism  and  to 
keep  them  in  such  condition  that  they  would  be. a  community 
pride?  What  would  it  cost  in  money?  What  would  it  be  worth  in 
rural  ideals? 

2.  What  should  be  the  ratio  between  the  salaries  of  teachers 
and  the  salaries  of  other  people  employed  in  a  community  in 
order  to  encourage  eflficient  people  to  engage  in  teaching? 

3.  What  may  be  done  to  keep  rural  school  boards  abreast  with 
the  times?    Could  the  county  superintendent  help?    How? 

4.  Is  it  true  that  intelligent  appreciation  is  the  thing  most 
needed  to  inspire  teachers  to  professional  growth  and  to  efficient 
service? 

5.  How  can  teachers  be  grouped  in  my  county  so  that  we  may 
have  enough  in  each  group  for  effective  work  and  so  that  our 
interests  would  be  the  same? 

6.  How  can  a  social  aspect  be  added  to  a  teachers'  meeting 
so  that  teachers  will  feel  socially  delighted  as  well  as  professionally 
edified? 

7.  What  was  the  Country  Life  Commission?  What  did  the 
Country  Life  Commission  find?   What  did  it  recommend? 


l6  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

8.  Is  Martha  correct  in  her  statement  that  too  many  of  the 
rural  solutions  are  paper  solutions?  What  can  we  rural  teachers 
do  to  change  this  situation? 

9.  Why  does  Martha  suggest  that  I  work  my  plan  before  I  tell 
about  it? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Teachers'  Salaries  and  Salary  Schedules — National  Education 
Association  Bulletin,  Series  No.  6 — Dr.  E.  S.  Evenden. 

Report  of  the  Country  Life  Commission — Roosevelt. 

The  Teacher,  the  School,  and  the  Community — McFee.  Chap- 
ter IV. 

Rural  Life  and  the  Rural  School — Kennedy.     Chapters  IV,  V,  VII. 


CHAPTER  II 

Martha's  prayer  is  answered  but  she  is  frightened 

BY   the   answer 

September  lo 
Dear  Hilda: 

Your  letter  with  a  boost  in  it  came  yesterday.  You 
were  always  a  confirmed  optimist.  Last  summer  when  I 
sometimes  let  the  bread,  the  pie  crust,  or  the  bacon  burn, 
you  would  console  me  by  saying  that  the  men  liked  it 
better  that  way  and  that,  furthermore,  charcoal  was  good 
for  digestion.  So,  here  your  letter  comes  saying  that  since 
I  see  the  rural  school  situation  as  I  do,  you  believe  I  shall 
have  an  opportunity  to  see  my  hopes  realized.  You  must 
be  the  daughter  of  a  prophet,  for  just  to-day  I  have  a 
letter  from  Miss  Gallop,  our  county  superintendent,  say- 
ing that  a  gentleman  is  coming  out  here  from  a  big  Uni- 
versity to  put  on  a  test  demonstration  in  rural  school 
supervision  and  that  she  has  designated  my  school  as  one 
of  fifteen  in  the  demonstration. 

Bang!  Kerplunk!  Just  hke  that!  Out  of  a  clear  sky 
this  educational  thunderbolt  has  fallen.  So,  I  suppose  it 
is  up  to  me  to  play  the  game  or  cease  my  criticism.  I 
have  been  talking  about  the  work  being  done  from  afar, 
but  now  it  has  come  uncomfortably  near  and  so  suddenly 
that  it  has  taken  my  breath. 

The  very  thought  of  this,  Hilda,  gives  me  mingled  feel- 
ings of  thrill  and  chill;  thrill  because  of  the  possibility 

17 


l8      SUCCESSFUL  TEACHING  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS 

and  chill  because  of  the  fear  of  failure.  He  is  coming  from 
the  Teachers  College  of  the  University.  I  have  a  mental 
picture  of  him  now — tall,  bald-headed,  spectacled,  and 
effeminate.  In  one  hand  he  has  an  umbrella  and  in  the 
other  a  thesis  bag  filled  with  a  lot  of  theoretical  tests.  He^ 
will  talk  in  long  psychological  terms  that  no  one  but  an 
encyclopedia  can  understand.  That  theoretical,  psycho- 
logical stuff  may  be  all  right,  I  don't  know  much  about  it. 
Miss  Bengston  used  to  tell  us  something  about  it  in  our 
teachers'  training  class  at  the  high  school.  Yes,  it  may  be 
all  right,  but  I  believe  that  what  these  rural  teachers  and 
rural  folks  need  above  everything  else,  is  a  real  human 
being  to  associate  with  them  and  get  them  to  associate 
with  each  other.  They  don't  need  to  be  tested  to  find  out 
where  they  are.  They  need  to  be  boosted  to  where  they 
should  be.  Everybody  knows  that  the  rural  educational 
and  social  situation  is  in  a  bad  condition;  so,  why  have  a 
lot  of  statistics  to  prove  it?  We  admit  it  without  proof. 
Besides,  for  my  part,  I  am  not  sure  just  how  much  thrill 
or  honor  will  result  from  being  one  of  a  group  of  teachers, 
and  having  my  school  one  of  a  group  of  schools  to  prove 
how  much  better  eastern  teachers  and  eastern  schools 
are  than  are  the  rural  teachers  and  rural  schools  on  the 
prairies  of  the  Middle  West. 

So,  you  see,  Hilda,  now  that  we  have,  in  a  way,  what  in  my 
last  letter  I  said  we  need,  I  am  squirming  like  a  fish  in  the  fry. 
I  am  doing  so  because  I  have  my  fears  and  my  doubts.  I 
fear  that  this  supervision  will  be  just  a  dry,  dehumanized, 
"  high-browish  "  sort  of  inspection.  I  doubt  that  anything 
that  is  really  close  down  to  the  earth  where  real  people 
actually  live  could  come  out  of  a  big  fossilized  university. 


Martha's   prayer   is   answered  19 

There  is  another  thing  that  gives  me  a  chill.  I  have  an 
image  now  of  that  aforesaid  spectacled  gentleman  sitting 
in  one  corner  of  my  schoolroom,  with  notebook  and 
pencil  in  hand,  writing  down  how  many  questions  I  ask 
during  one  fifteen-minute  lesson  period,  how  many  times 
I  call  the  child's  name  before  I  ask  the  question  and  not- 
ing all  of  the  other  pedagogical  and  grammatical  crimes 
of  which  I  am  guilty.  I  always  have  a  chill  at  the  very 
thought  of  the  annual  visit  of  the  county  superintendent, 
good  and  sympathetic  as  I  know  her  to  be.  Therefore, 
what  shall  I  do  in  the  presence  of  a  grim  ogre  like  this 
spectacled  professor  from  a  dry-as-dust  university? 

If  you  never  hear  from  me  again,  you  may  know  that  I 
have  fallen  dead  with  heart  failure  on  the  occasion  of  his 
first  inspection.  Quiveringly  curious  as  to  what  the  results 
of  the  demonstration  will  be,  I  am, 

Devotedly, 

Martha 
HILDA'S   MEDITATIONS 

1.  Why  does  Martha  think  that  universities  are  "dry  as  dust" 
and  "fossilized?"  Are  they,  or  she,  or  someone  else  responsible  for 
this  idea? 

2.  I  wonder  how  I  would  feel  if  a  college  professor  were  to  come 
and  sit  in  my  schoolroom  and  watch  my  teaching  and  write  down 
what  I  said  and  did?  I  wonder  if  the  purpose  for  which  he  would 
be  observing  would  make  any  difference  in  my  feelings? 

3.  What  should  be  the  qualities  of  a  supervisor  in  order  that 
he  might  be  of  greatest  service  to  his  teachers  and  to  the  people 
whom    he    served? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer  Her  Questions:  { 
Rural  Life  and  Education — Cubberley.     Chapter  XII. 
Rural  Life  and  The  Rural  School — Kennedy.     Chapter  XI. 


CHAPTER   III 

THE   PROFESSOR   APPEARS   AT   MARTHA'S    SCHOOL 

September  27 
Dear  Hilda: 

He  has  been  here.  By  "he"  I  mean  Mr.  WiUiam  Hoppes 
Moore,  the  supervisor  of  whom  I  wrote  you  in  my  last 
letter  with  such  quivering  curiosity  and  mortal  dread. 
Sure  enough  he  came  with  a  thesis  bag  filled  with  Standard- 
ized Tests  but  he  did  not  have  an  umbrella,  a  bald  head, 
spectacles,  or  an  effeminate  manner.  He  is  a  real  human 
being  with  a  smile  that  wins,  a  hand  shake  that  one  remem- 
bers, and  a  businesslike  manner  that  does  not  keep  one 
guessing  very  long  what  his  purpose  is. 

He  spent  the  entire  morning  with  us  testing  the  children 
in  reading,  arithmetic,  spelling,  composition,  and  pen- 
manship. I  thought  the  children  would  be  dreadfully 
bored  by  the  tests  but  they  were  not.  Usually  they  dread 
examinations  as  if  they  were  a  great  malady  but  to-day 
Mr.  Moore  made  a  sort  of  game  out  of  them.  He  told  the 
children,  also,  that  next  May  he  would  give  them  another 
test  to  see  how  much  they  grow  during  the  year.  This  de- 
lighted them  very  much.  They  are  always  measuring  to 
see  how  much  they  have  grown,  and  weighing  to  see  how 
much  they  have  gained.  This  idea  of  testing  them  to  see 
how  much  their  brains  grow  amused  them  greatly.  Already 
they  are  beginning  to  speculate  on  how  much  they  can 
grow  in  arithmetic  in  one  year.    I  never  before  saw  chil- 

20 


THE     PROFESSOR     AT     MARTHA  S     SCHOOL  21 

dren  wishing  for  an  examination  a  year  before  it  happens 
but  that  is  exactly  what  they  are  doing  to-night. 

You  see,  Hilda,  how  quickly  one's  outlook  on  life  can 
change  from  pessimism  and  dread  to  optimism  and  joy. 
The  grim  ogre  existed  only  in  my  overstimulated  brain. 
The  university  which  I  thought  could  be  only  "dry"  and 
"fossilized"  has  sent  forth  a  very  live  human  being  who 
laughs,  plays,  and  works  just  like  other  people  who  have 
never  spent  a  day  on  a  university  campus.  I  suppose, 
after  all,  it  is  the  person  that  counts,  and  not  the  place 
from  which  he  comes. 

From  this  you  will  see  that  my  faith  in  the  possibihties  of 
the  experiment  has  changed.  Not  only  was  I  joyfully 
disappointed  in  the  appearance  and  manner  of  the  super- 
visor but  I  was  also  greatly  reheved  over  the  nature  of  the 
Standardized  Tests.  I  had  feared  that  they  would  be 
so  academic  that  they  would  prove  of  little  help  to  us  and 
that  I  would  be  unable  to  understand  them.  They  do  not 
seem  so  difficult.  ]\Iy  opportunity  to  study  them  was  very 
limited  this  morning.  I  shall  reserve  final  judgment  on 
them  until  I  see  more  of  the  effects.  One  thing  is  certain: 
My  children  are  longing  for  the  time  to  come  for  them  to 
take  those  tests  again.    That  is  worth  something  in  itself. 

There  is  one  other  thing  that  causes  me  hopefully  to 
beHeve  that  the  demonstration  may  prove  a  success  and 
really  do  some  good — that  is,  the  arrangement  of  the 
schools  in  the  Demonstration  District.  Miss  Gallop  had 
planned  to  have  fifteen  schools  selected  from  various  parts 
of  the  county,  but  since  Mr.  Moore  has  arrived  he  has 
changed  the  plan.  He  has  selected  the  schools  south  of 
Amberville  which  lie  in  the  vicinity  of  Warren.    He  did 


22  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

not  select  only  the  good  schools  where  the  people  are 
intelligent  and  progressive,  the  teachers  ambitious  and 
well  trained,  and  the  buildings  convenient  and  attractive. 
He  has  taken  the  schools  just  as  they  came — good,  bad 
and  indifferent.    I  believe  this  the  better  plan. 

One  of  the  troubles  in  the  past  has  been  that  in  matters 
educational,  we  have  been  giving  only  to  those  who  already 
had  and  not  giving  to  everyone  according  to  his  needs — - 
to  speak  somewhat  in  Sunday-school  terms.  Of  course,  I 
know  that  we  can  make  a  fine  hog  out  of  a  well-bred  pig, 
a  better  teacher  and  school  out  of  a  good  teacher  and 
good  school — but  what  of  the  poor  teacher  and  the  poor 
school?  They  are  in  the  great  majority  in  the  rural  sec- 
tions of  America,  and  it  is  about  them  that  I  am  most  con- 
cerned. They  are  the  people  that  need  some  demonstrating 
done  with   them. 

We  need  some  Moses  to  rise  up  in  those  particular  sec- 
tions of  the  country  where  tenant  ideals  prevail  and  lead 
the  people  to  the  promised  land  of  better  educational, 
economic  and  social  ideals.  We  do  not  want  these  Moseses 
to  lead  the  people  OUT  of  the  land  but  to  lead  them  while 
ON  the  land. 

Many  of  the  farmers  of  the  Middle  West  (and  of  America) 
do  not  live  on  the  land.  They  have  a  country  farm  but  a 
town  residence.  Many  of  our  farmers  who  do  not  own 
the  land  they  till,  have  only  one-year  plans,  except  in  so 
far  as  they  plan  to  move  every  year.  The  result  of  these 
two  farm  facts  is  a  decadent,  short-sighted  social  program 
for  the  rural  districts. 

To  make  bad  matters  worse,  our  teachers  are  of  the 
same  type — they  have  only  one-year  plans.    I  asked  Mr. 


THE     PROFESSOR     AT     MARTHA   S     SCHOOL  23 

Moore  to-day  how  many  of  the  teachers  in  his  demon- 
stration group  had  taught  the  same  school  last  year  which 
they  are  to  teach  this.  He  said  that  he  had  investigated 
that  point  immediately  after  deciding  upon  this  group 
of  schools  and  found  that  there  are  only  two  out  of  the 
fifteen.  That  looks  pretty  bad  for  the  teaching  profession, 
don't  you  think  so,  Hilda?  If  we  teachers  are  the  persons 
who  are  to  create  and  inspire  the  social  ideals  of  the  nation, 
what  ^\'ill  those  ideals  be?  If  annual  change  is  to  be  the 
great  social  lesson  we  teach,  surely  America  will  soon  be 
a  nation  of  nomads. 

The  main  reason  why  I  am  glad  that  Mr.  Moore  has 
decided  on  this  arrangement  of  his  schools  instead  of  the 
other,  is,  that  in  this  plan,  the  teachers  can  get  together. 
He  tells  me  that  he  plans  for  monthly  meetings  in  the 
Demonstration  Zone  (that  is  what  he  calls  the  group  of 
schools)  which  all  of  the  teachers  will  attend.  It  is  not 
more  than  twelve  miles  from  the  farthest  school  on  one 
side  of  the  district  to  the  most  remote  school  on  the  other 
side.  This,  you  see,  Hilda,  will  bring  together  neighboring 
teachers  who  have  common  situations  and  common 
problems  and  therefore  common  interests.  WTiatever  is 
done  that  will  interest  and  help  one  of  them  will  interest 
and  help  all. 

The  greatest  weakness  of  our  big  county  teachers' 
institutes  is  that  there  are  so  many  teachers  present  who 
represent  such  different  geographical  and  pedagogical 
situations,  that  a  common  interest  and  a  common  problem 
are  practically  impossible.  In  such  a  big  teachers'  meeting 
it  is  practically  impossible  for  a  speaker  to  be  definite  for 
fear  of  being  tiresome.    If  he  is  general  in  his  work,  it  is 


24  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

profitless  to  all.  The  best  thing  about  a  small  group,  such 
as  ours  will  be,  is  that  it  represents  one  type  of  school  and 
one  topographical  area,  and  the  group  will  be  small  enough 
for  all  to  be  able  to  take  a  REAL  part  in  the  meeting.  I 
always  enjoyed  hearing  you  talk,  Hilda,  but  I  get  more 
fun  out  of  it  when  you  talk  in  response  to  one  of  my  ques- 
tions or  gibes.  I  enjoy  some  speeches  that  grapho- 
phones  make  but  chiefly  because  they  are  not  over  two 
minutes  in  length.  I  would  die  of  tongue  paralysis  and 
brain  indigestion  if  I  had  to  listen  to  one  of  them  for  forty 
minutes  or  an  hour.  That's  what  I  have  often  come  near 
doing  at  county  institutes.  When  this  one-sided  talk-fest 
is  continued  for  three  days  or  a  week,  I  fall  into  a  stupor 
and  save  my  life  by  mental  hibernation,  or  else  I  turn 
Bolshevist  and  want  to  revolutionize  the  whole  institute 
scheme.  I  believe  that  there  should  be  written  over  the 
door  of  every  place  where  a  teachers'  meeting  is  held — 
"Equality,  Fraternity,  Participation." 

This  ideal  cannot  well  be  realized  where  the  crowd  is 
too  large.  You  cannot  have  equality  where  the  teaching 
situations  are  unlike,  where  the  professional  equipments 
are  very  dissimilar  or  unequal,  and  where  the  purposes 
of  the  teachers  are  too  divergent. 

Fraternity  is  based  upon  consciousness  of  kind.  "Birds 
of  a  feather  flock  together,"  and  where  the  feathers  are 
not  alike  and  where  there  is  no  consciousness  of  kind, 
"fraternity"  is  impossible. 

Even  more  important  in  the  teachers'  meeting  than 
"equality"  or  "fraternity"  is  "participation."  At  too 
many  of  our  institutes  the  instructors  do  all  the  work. 
During  the  first  hours  of  the  meeting,  the  teachers  sit 


THE    PROFESSOR    AT    MARTHA  S     SCHOOL  2$ 

and  think,  and  after  that  they  only  sit.  To  make  an  in- 
stitute really  of  value  to  the  teachers,  there  must  be  some 
opportunity  for  expression  whenever  there  is  a  real  im- 
pression. In  an  institute,  I  beheve  that  discussion  is  far 
better  than  addresses,  and  doing,  far  better  than  talking. 

You  see,  Hilda,  all  that  I  need  is  a  soap  box  in  order  to 
be  entitled  to  a  prison  sentence,  or  to  be  worthy  of  deporta- 
tion. But  I  am  not  so  bad  or  so  discouraged  as  I  sound. 
I  am  far  more  happy  educationally  than  I  have  been  for 
more  than  a  year.  I  used  to  think  about  this  matter  but 
I  saw  no  way  out.  I  was  in  the  intellectual  brush  and  saw 
no  clearing  ahead,  but  since  meeting  Mr.  Moore  to-day, 
hearing  a  bit  of  his  hopes  and  plans,  watching  him  work 
and  seeing  him  play, — I  say,  since  then,  I  am  all  buoyed 
up  with  hope.  I  see  a  path  in  the  forest  that  seems  to 
grow  wider  as  it  advances.  I  believe  it  will  lead  out  to 
valleys  green  and  waters  clear,  where  people  don't  camp 
but  where  they  live;  where  teachers  live  at  the  same  place 
in  which  they  labor;  where  good  schools  are  made  better; 
and  more  important  still,  where  poor  schools  are  made 
good,  and  where  the  school  is  the  ceirter  of  the  com- 
munity's activities  and  the  teachers  are  the  community's 
priests  and  prophets  as  well  as  the  community's  obedient 
slaves. 

Joyously  disappointed, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

I.  What  are  Standardized  Tests?  How  do  they  differ  from 
other  tests?  Would  it  be  a  good  plan  to  test  every  school  at  the 
beginning  and  at  the  end  of  each  year  in  some  way  that  would 


26  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

really  show  how  much  the  children  have  advanced  in  a  subject 
during  the  year?  I  wonder  if  a  Standardized  Test  will  show 
that?  If  it  will,  I  am  for  it.  I  cannot  tell  that,  by  the  tests  which 
I  give. 

2.  What  is  the  geographical  organization  of  the  schools  near 
mine  which  would  be  most  satisfactory  for  forming  such  a  group 
as  Martha  has? 

3.  Is  there  a  Moses  in  our  county  that  could  lead  us,  education- 
ally, to  a  Promised  Land?  Is  it  necessary  to  get  one  from  a  foreign 
land  or  have  we  one  among  us  to  take  that  place?  How  was  the 
real  Moses  prepared  to  lead?  Is  preparation  necessary?  What 
preparation?  Would  we,  like  the  children  of  Israel,  distrust  our 
leadership  and  long  for  the  "old  way"  when  diflficulties  arise? 

4.  Why  do  rural  teachers  change  their  positions  so  often?  Is 
the  situation  in  our  county  as  bad  as  it  appears  to  be  where  Martha 
works? 

5.  What  is  the  prime  purpose  of  the  teachers'  institute?  Does 
our  institute  accomplish  that  aim?  What  plan  could  be  sub- 
stituted that  would  provide  the  desired  results  without  causing 
other  disadvantages  greater  than  those  we  now  have?  Should 
every  teacher  actually  participate  in  the  work  of  the  institute? 

6.  Is  it  important  that  the  rural  teacher  live  where  he  or  she 
teaches?    What  are  the  advantages?    the  disadvantages? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Measuring  the  Results  of  Teaching — Monroe.  Chapters  I  and  XI. 
The  Value  of  School  Supervision — Pittman.  Chapters  I,  IV,  VIII. 
Educational    Tests    and    Measurements — Monroe,    DeVoss    and 

Kelly.    Chapters  I  and  XL 
Rural  Life  and  the  Rural  School — Kennedy.    Chapter  XIII. 
Our  Public  Schools — Corson.    Chapters  V  and  VII. 


CHAPTER  IV 

MARTHA     DISCOVERS     THE     PRACTICAL     VALUE     OF 
THEORETICAL   TESTS 

October  3 
Dear  Hilda: 

To-day  we,  the  teachers  of  the  Demonstration  District, 
met  in  Warren  and  held  our  first  meeting.  At  the  begin- 
ning ]\Ir.  Moore  made  a  Httle  talk — not  a  speech — telling 
us  what  he  wanted  to  do  this  year  and  that  he  wanted  us 
to  help  him.  He  wants  to  see  what  a  group  of  rural  teach- 
ers can  do  in  one  year  toward  improving  the  quahty  of 
the  school  work — the  quahty  to  be  determined  at  the 
beginning  and  again  at  the  end.  In  order  to  make  the 
idea  plain  to  us  he  brought  along  the  reading  papers  of 
the  tests  that  he  recently  gave  in  our  schools.  We  devoted 
the  morning  to  grading  these  papers. 

Possibly  you  have  never  seen  any  of  these  papers.  I 
never  had  until  they  were  used  in  my  school.  The  test 
paper  is  of  this  sort:  It  contains  a  little  story  which  the 
children  read  silently.  All  of  the  children  taking  the  test, 
begin  on  a  signal  and  stop  on  a  signal.  They  read  for 
three  minutes.  Every  half  minute  as  the  reading  proceeds, 
the  person  who  is  directing  the  test  says  "Mark."  By 
means  of  these  marks  the  speed  at  which  the  child  reads, 
the  number  of  words  he  reads  per  minute,  is  determined. 
These  are  the  rates  at  which  children  should  read  accord- 
ing to  the  grades  of  the  school,  beginning  with  the  third. 

27 


28  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

Third        Fourth  Fifth  Sixth  Seventh         Eighth 

113  14s  168  191  228  240 

I  never  knew  this  until  this  hiorning.  I  did  not  know 
that  there  was  a  STANDARD  rate  at  which  children 
should  read  corresponding  to  the  grade  in  which  they 
happened  to  be.  I  was  dumbfounded  to  find  that  my 
pupils  were  reading  only  about  half  as  fast  as  they  should. 
I  always  thought  that  I  was  born  a  little  short,  and  now 
I  can  see  that  all  of  the  teachers  that  I  have  ever  had,  so 
taught  that  they  have  perpetuated  that  shortness. 

The  little  story  which  the  children  read  had  questions 
asked  about  it,  all  of  which  could  be  answered  by  "Yes" 
or  "No."  We  found  that  the  children  were  slow  in  answer- 
ing these  questions  just  as  they  were  in  reading  the  lines. 
Now,  if  a  child  misses  one  of  these  questions,  answers  it 
incorrectly,  instead  of  missing  orie  question  he  has  really 
missed  two,  for  you  see,  Hilda,  he  could  shut  his  eyes  and 
write  "Yes"  after  every  question  and  still  get  half  of  them 
right  since  there  are  as  many  "yes"  questions  as  there 
are  "no"  questions.  If  he  answers  fifty  out  of  one  hun- 
dred such  questions,  it  does  not  mean  that  he  under- 
stands half  of  it  but  that  he  does  not  understand  any  of 
it — it  is  all  guess  work. 

I  am  enclosing  a  sample  copy  of  the  Courtis  Reading 
Test.  To  me  the  most  interesting  discovery  of  the  day 
was  the  fact  that  those  children  who  read  quite  rapidly 
were  the  children  who  also  read  well,  that  is,  who  under- 
stood what  they  read.  They  could  answer  the  questions 
correctly.  Mr.  Moore  says  that  this  is  usually  true  in 
all  types  of  work — fast  workers  are  the  more  accurate 
workers. 


I 


THE     VALUE     OF     THEORETICAL    TESTS  29 

That  was  a  brand  new  thought  to  me.  My  teachers  used 
to  say:  "Martha,  read  more  slowly.  You  cannot  under- 
stand what  you  are  reading  when  you  go  so  fast."  I  have 
been  saying  the  same  things  to  my  children  ever  since  I've 
been  teaching.  So,  you  see,  Hilda,  what  great  injustice 
and  irreparable  damage  a  teacher  can  do  to  a  child 
simply  because  she  does  not  know,  even  though  she 
may  care  ever  so  much.  The  barbarian  mother  loves 
her  children  but  that  does  not  save  the  child  from  the 
ignorance  of  the  mother's  act.  I  am  now  convinced  that 
love  alone,  important  as  it  is,  will  not  make  a  successful 
school. 

I  wrote  you  recently  that  I  would  reserve  my  judgment 
on  the  "theoretical  tests"  until  later.  Well,  my  suspicions 
are  all  gone.  My  judgment  is  made  up  now;  I  saw  some 
reading  truths  more  clearly  this  morning,  as  a  result  of 
two  hours  of  grading  those  Standard  Tests,  than  I  have 
ever  been  able  to  see  them  as  a  result  of  all  of  my  experience 
in  teaching  the  subject.  Long  before  we  got  through  grad- 
ing the  papers  and  before  Mr.  Moore  got  through  finding 
what  he  called  the  "Median"  (the  grade  of  the  middle 
child  of  each  group)  I  say,  long  before  that,  I  could  hear 
the  teachers  saying:  "Well,  what  do  you  think  of  that?" 
"Well,  I'll  be  blessed  if  this  isn't  interesting!"  "Who 
would  have  thought  it!"  "What  shall  we  do  about  it?" 
"How  can  we  make  the  children  read  more  rapidly  and 
more  understanding^? "  and  such  other  questions  of 
surprise  and  of  appeal  for  professional  help. 

When  we  were  through  grading  and  Mr.  IMoore  had 
worked  out  all  of  the  "Medians"  and  compared  them 
with  the  "Standards" — that  is  what  the  children  should 

Successful  T— 3 


3©  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

be  able  to  do — then  he  said:  "Teachers,  do  you  see  our 
problem?"    Everyone  did. 

Then  he  said:  "How  many  of  you  want  to  join  a  group 
to  see  what  we  can  do  about  it?  I  have  selected  you 
and  your  schools  purely  on  the  basis  of  convenience  but 
I  don't  want  you  in  the  group  unless  you  really  want  to  be, 
unless  you  are  really  interested  in  the  problem.  This  work 
will  not  raise  your  salary.  It  will  probably  increase  your 
expenses,  if  you  attend  all  of  the  teachers'  meetings  as 
you  should,  in  order  to  get  the  most  out  of  the  work.  It 
will  test  your  purpose  and  your  pluck  to  get  to  these 
meetings  on  cold  days  and  with  bad  roads.  If  you  are  not 
going  to  come  to  these  meetings  in  spite  of  all  difficulties, 
I  advise  you  not  to  join  the  group.  Furthermore,  if  you 
join  this  group  and  do  what  you  should  do,  it  will  greatly 
increase  your  work.  I  do  not  want  you  in  the  group  unless 
you  are  willing  to  go  in,  heart  and  soul." 

Believe  me  or  not,  but  the  more  he  talked  the  more 
interested  I  became.  I  watched  the  other  teachers  and  I 
saw  that  it  was  having  the  same  effect  upon  them.  The 
more  difficult  he  pictured  the  task,  the  more  everyone 
wanted  to  tackle  it.  I  beheve  that  is  usually  true,  Hilda. 
There  is  something  innate  in  human  nature  that  rises  to 
meet  a  challenge  of  difficulty. 

When  Mr.  Moore  finished  telling  how  hard  it  would 
really  be  to  do  the  job,  he  asked:  "Who  of  you  want 
to  forget  your  beaux,  disregard  all  money  consideration, 
defy  the  weather,  ignore  the  roads,  and  multiply  your 
school  work  for  this  school  year?"  Before  he  was  through 
with  his  question,  every  hand  was  in  the  air.  All  fifteen 
were  shouting,  "I  do." 


THE  VALUE  OF  THEORETICAL  TESTS         3I 

''Then  I  suggest  that  you  organize  yourselves  into  a 
little  club  for  business  purposes,"  he  said. 

We  were  a  Httle  ignorant  of  organization,  but  we  soon 
had  a  president,  a  vice-president,  and  a  secretary.  Miss 
Wyman  was  made  president,  Miss  Beulah  Walker,  vice- 
president,  and  your  pestiferous  correspondent  was  selected 
to  keep  the  record  straight.  They  evidently  knew  my 
weakness  for  spreading  ink  on  paper. 

It  was  noon.  We  adjourned  with  the  announcement 
that  we  would  have  some  demonstration  lessons  at  the 
afternoon  session  of  the  club. 

We  were  back  from  our  dinner  and  ready  for  work  at 
I  p.  M.  sharp.  Mr.  Moore  had  arranged  to  have  the  fifth 
grade  of  the  Warren  school  present  to  be  used  in  the 
afternoon  demonstrations.  He  distributed  the  following 
brief  outline: 

General  Suggestions  on  Reading  in  the  Public  Schools 

BY 

W.  H.  Moore,  Demonstration  Helping  Teacher. 
Silent  Reading: 
Authorities  declare— 

1.  That  we  read  much  more,  silently  than  orally. 

2.  That  school  practice  often  retards  rapid,  thoughtful,  silent 

reading  because 

(a)  It  does  not  give  sufficient  emphasis  to  speed  and  to 
thought-getting. 

(b)  It  fixes  a  very  slow  rate  by  unduly  emphasizing  oral 
reading. 

(c)  It  often  encourages  lip  readers. 

(d)  It  limits  the  daily  lessons  to  such  a  small  amount  of 
subject  matter. 

(e)  It  destroys  the  child's  initiative. 

(f)  It  subordinates  thought  to  sound. 


32      SUCCESSFUL  TEACHING  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS 

3.  That  silent  reading  can  be  much  more  rapid  than  oral  reading. 

4.  That  rapid  readers  get  and  can  reproduce  much  more  of  the 
thought  of  what  they  read  than  can  slow  readers. 

If  these  criticisms  are  well  founded,  it  seems  clear  that  we  should 
give  more  thought  and  time  to  teaching  silent  reading  and  less  to 
teaching  the  type  of  oral  reading  of  which  the  authorities  complain. 

In  our  silent  reading,  it  is  clear  that  we  must  have  two  large 
purposes  in  mind: 

1.  To  develop  speed. 

2.  To  develop  power  in  thought-getting. 

These  may  be  secured  through  the  following  means: 

1.  Use  reading  material  that  is  easy  for  the  child. 

2.  Use  material  that  has  strong  appeal  for  the  child. 

3.  Have  contests  between  children  in  speed  and  thought-getting. 

4.  Have  large  lesson  or  story  aims  to  guide  children. 

5.  Have  small  paragraph  or  thought  aims  to  guide  children. 

The  points  of  this  outline  were  discussed  briefly  and 
then  Mr.  Moore  said  he  would  try  to  illustrate  how  to 
increase  speed  and  thought-getting  through  a  reading 
recitation.  He  distributed  the  following  outline  of  the 
lesson  which  he  was  going  to  teach  and  asked  us  to  follow 
it  as  we  observed  the  demonstration. 

Teacher's   Aim — To   illustrate  how  to  secure  rapid,   thoughtful, 

silent  reading. 
Text:   Baldwin  and  Bender's  Fifth  Reader,  pp.  216-221. 
Lesson  Title:  Who  is  the  Happiest  Man? 
Words  to  be  presented  before  the  silent  reading  begins: — Croesus, 

Solon,  Tellus,  Cyrus,  pyre. 
Children's  large  aim:   To  find  who  is  the  happiest  man. 
Children's  small  aims:    To  find  answers  most  quickly  to  following 

questions: 

1.  To  whom  is  a  wealthy  man  compared? 

2.  What  did  King  Croesus  say  of  himself? 

3.  To  whom  is  a  wise  man  compared? 


THE  VALUE  OF  THEORETICAL  TESTS  ;i^ 

4.  What  question  did  Croesus  ask  of  Solon  as  they  dined 
together? 

5.  Why  did  Solon  think  that  Tellus  was  so  deserving  of  happi- 
ness? 

6.  Who  did  Solon  think  were  the  next  happiest?   Why? 

7.  When  did  Solon  say  that  we  could  tell  that  a  man  is  happy 
and  why? 

8.  What  order  did  King  Cyrus  give  his  soldiers  about  Croesus? 

9.  What  did  the  savage  soldier  say  as  he  ran  for  a  torch? 

10.  What  did  Croesus  exclaim  as  he  lay  on  the  pyre? 

11.  How  did  Cyrus  decide  to  treat  Croesus  and  why? 

It  was  truly  an  eye-opener  to  see  Mr.  Moore  teach 
that  lesson.  He  would  ask  the  question  and  then  all  the 
children  would  open  their  books  at  the  same  time  and 
read  for  dear  life.  As  soon  as  a  child  would  find  what  he 
thought  was  the  answer  to  the  question,  he  would  close 
his  book,  and  stand.  We  soon  observed  that  some  chil- 
dren read  more  than  twice  as  rapidly  as  others.  Usually 
the  rapid  reader  had  the  best  grasp  of  the  thought.  Some- 
times one  would  get  through  too  quickly — he  had  not 
gotten  the  right  thought.  He  had  jumped  to  his  con- 
clusion. The  answers  of  the  other  members  of  the  class 
would  show  his  error.  One  such  error  was  enough  to  make 
a  very  strong  impression  upon  the  child  making  it. 

As  I  observed  that  demonstration,  I  fell  to  philosophiz- 
ing. Why  not  conduct  all  of  our  institutes  according  to 
some  such  plans  as  this?  Here  was  something  that  all 
could  see,  some  definite  thing  about  which  all  could  talk. 
We  were  all  interested  in  it  for  we  knew  that  for  the  entire 
year  we  would  be  teaching  reading  lessons.  No  one  went 
to  sleep  or  yawned  or  even  read  a  magazine  while  that 
lesson  or  the  discussion  which  followed  it  was  in  progress. 


34  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

When  Mr.  Moore  was  through  with  the  demonstration, 
he  said:  "Teachers,  that  was  not  a  very  good  demon- 
stration of  this  type  of  a  lesson.  I  am  not  an  expert  teacher 
and  these  children  are  new  to  me.  I  have  taught  this  not 
as  a  model  lesson  but  as  a  suggestive  lesson.  From  the 
interest  you  have  manifested,  I  am  sure  that  when  I  visit 
you  in  your  own  schools,  I  shall  find  you  doing  much 
better  work  on  this  idea  than  I  have  been  able  to  do  this 
afternoon.  I  shall  visit  you  all  during  the  week  before  the 
fourth  Saturday  from  now.  I  shall  write  you  later  the 
exact  hour  that  I  shall  be  at  each  of  your  schools." 

We  then  discussed  the  lesson  somewhat  in  detail.  Every 
teacher  asked  some  question  or  made  some  comment.  It 
was  a  regular  family  affair.  I  suppose  you  might  call  that 
part  of  the  meeting  a  socialized  recitation,  for  everyone 
was  thinking.  Everyone  was  contributing  to  the  discus- 
sion. Nobody  made  a  speech,  but  everyone  made  some 
comment  and  some  contribution. 

When  we  had  finished  our  discussion  of  the  lesson,  Mr. 
Moore  called  our  attention  to  a  Hst  of  reading  references 
printed  at  the  bottom  of  the  page  on  which  the  general 
outline  was  presented.  These  references  cited  books  by 
title,  chapter,  and  page  where  material  which  bears  upon 
our  problem  of  speed  and  comprehension  in  silent  reading 
may  be  found.  He  then  drew  from  that  pedagogical,  pro- 
fessorial thesis  bag,  of  which  I  have  spoken  previously 
with  some  disdain,  copies  of  all  of  those  books  and  asked 
who  would  hke  to  take  a  copy  for  the  month.  To  my 
wonderment,!  saw  every  teacher  in  the  group  walk  up  and 
take  one.  Imagine  it,  if  you  can!  We  have  always  wailed 
and  groaned  at  the  thought  of  having  to  read  two  books 


THE  VALUE  OF  THEORETICAL  TESTS 


35 


for  the  state  Reading  Circle  work.  That  much  was  re- 
quired by  law.  Here  we  were  each  taking  a  book  to  read 
for  the  month.  Here  I  am  to-night  about  to  plunge  into 
Huey's  "Psychology  and  Pedagogy  of  Reading,"  and  I 
don't  expect  to  get  a  thing  for  doing  so  except  the  fun  of 
it — no  special  credit,  no  additions  to  my  certificate,  no 
additions  to  my  pay  check,  "no  nothing,"  Hilda,  but  pro- 
fessional growth  for  its  own  sake.  Think  of  it,  I  say! 
Think  of  it!  Wonder  of  wonders!  When  will  they  ever 
cease? 

You  see  I  am  so  excited  over  it  that  I  have  written  to- 
night just  as  I  talk — no  end  to  it.  I  have  passed  the  limit 
already.    Forgive  me. 

Eagerly  awaiting  next  week  so  I  can  try  my  hand  on  the 
new  idea,  I  am 

Enthusiastically, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

1.  Would  it  be  practical  for  teachers  everywhere  to  give  Stand- 
ard Tests  to  their  own  pupils  and  score  the  papers?  What  help 
would  this  be  to  them  in  their  teaching?  Could  a  teacher  do  all  of 
the  scoring  of  the  papers  or  would  she  need  other  judgments  be- 
sides her  own?  How  many  teachers  should  work  together  to  make 
an  effective  scoring  team?  What  advantages  would  a  "self-survey" 
have  over  "being  surveyed?" 

2.  Do  those  standard  rates  which  Martha  quotes  represent 
w'hat  children  do,  what  they  should  do,  or  what  they  could  do? 
Are  the  three  rates  the  same?    If  not,  why  not? 

3.  Why  does  reading  easy  literature  facilitate  speed  in  silent 
reading?  Why  does  reading  interesting  material  facilitate  speed? 
Why  does  much  reading  affect  speed?  If  these  are  the  things 
needed  to  facilitate  speed  in  reading,  what  is  the  teacher's  part  in 


36  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

increasing  speed?  From  what  Martha  says,  it  seems  that  teachers 
have  hindered  more  than  they  have  helped  the  speed  at  which 
people  read;  I  wonder  if  that  is  really  true?    Why? 

4.  I  wonder  if  it  is  difficult  to  learn  how  to  work  out  the  "me- 
dians" and  find  how  a  class  ranks  and  how  one  class  compares  in 
one  subject  to  another  class  in  the  same  subject?  How  is  that  com- 
parison made? 

5.  To  what  extent  does  a  difficulty  increase  our  determination 
and  our  interest?  When  do  difficulties  discourage  us?  Why  were 
those  teachers  not  discouraged  by  the  difficulties  which  Mr.  Moore 
presented? 

6.  Why  were  those  teachers  more  interested  in  that  demon- 
stration lesson  on  the  teaching  of  silent  reading  than  they  would 
have  been  on  an  interesting  talk  about  how  to  do  it?  How  will 
that  demonstration  influence  those  teachers  during  next  month? 
Will  it  have  a  greater  influence  than  would  an  interesting  lecture 
on  the  same  subject?  What  was  the  purpose  of  group  discussion 
after  the  demonstration  lesson? 

7.  Why  is  it  that  we  teachers  usually  read  only  what  is  required 
of  us?  Is  that  true  of  any  other  profession?  Why?  What  would 
change  the  situation  with  us? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Measuring  the  Results  of  Teaching — Monroe.  Chapters  I  and  XL 
Eighteenth  Year  Book — Reading — Gray.  Part  H.   National  Society 

for  the  Scientific  Study  of  Education. 
How    to    Teach — Strayer    and    Norsworthy.    Chapter   XV,    pp. 

277-287. 
The  Supervision  of  Instruction — Nutt.    Chapter  XL 
The  Classroom  Teacher — Strayer  and  Engelhardt.    Chapter  HI. 


CHAPTER  V 

PREPARATION  FOR  THE  TEACHERS'  MEETING 

October  31 
Dear  Hilda: 

Everything  is  in  readiness  for  our  meeting  to-morrow. 
At  our  last  meeting  I  invited  the  club  to  meet  at  our  school- 
house  this  time.  To-morrow  is  the  day.  We  gather  for  the 
professional  part  of  the  program  at  10  a.m.  The  people 
of  the  neighborhood  will  come  at  noon  and  with  them  bring 
the  dinner  for  the  crowd.  The  afternoon  will  be  devoted 
to  community  entertainment.  All  of  the  teachers,  Mr. 
Moore,  and  some  outside  visitors  will  be  present.  This 
will  be  quite  a  big  event  for  our  community.  You  see, 
we  have  only  five  families  in  our  school  district  and  for  that 
reason  we  rarely  have  any  public  meetings  at  the  school- 
house.  To-morrow's  meeting  will  be  a  record  breaker  for 
us  and  the  entire  community  is  taking  pride  in  the  fact. 

It  has  been  a  revelation  to  me  to  see  how  the  attitude  of 
a  community  could  change  in  one  month.  From  the  day 
Mr.  Moore  gave  the  Standard  Tests  up  to  the  present 
moment  we  have  all  had  a  new  purpose  and  a  new  interest. 
This  has  been  the  biggest  month  of  my  school  experience. 
I  have  been  working  with  an  understanding  of  what  I  was 
trying  to  do.  My  purpose  had  point  and  each  day  had  its 
thrill  of  discovery.  I  have  not  always  been  able  to  do  what 
I  undertook  but  I  have  been  able  to  know  when  I  suc- 
ceeded and  when  I  failed.    The  one  has  had  as  much 

46075 


38  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

interest  and  as  much  instruction  for  me  as  the  other. 
Even  failure  is  beneficial  if  we  know  what  we  are  working 
for  and  can  see  wherein  and  why  we  fail.  I  have  decided 
that  it  is  not  only  success  that  makes  us  happy,  but  that  it 
is  intelligent  thought  on  a  problem  that  makes  life  rich 
and  interesting.  It  takes  a  certain  amount  of  failure  to 
make  us  appreciate  success  and  cause  us  to  really  desire 
success.  Some  failure  sharpens  one's  interest  and  strength- 
ens one's  determination.  It  helps  to  define  the  desired 
goal.  A  clear  understanding  of  the  goals  to  be  attained 
is  necessary  before  we  are  prepared  to  appreciate  success, 
or  to  profit  from  failure. 

As  suggested  by  Mr.  Moore  at  our  last  meeting,  I  have 
been  working  this  month  particularly  on  improving  the 
speed  and  comprehension  of  the  children  in  silent  reading. 
I  have  always  thought  of  reading  as  a  sort  of  progressive 
declamatory  exhibition.  The  children  had  to  be  lined  up 
in  a  row — sometimes  seated,  but  usually  standing.  One 
child  would  read  aloud  until  the  teacher  decided  he  had 
read  far  enough,  until  he  broke  down  and  could  no  longer 
pronounce  the  words,  or  until  the  teacher  caught  some 
other  member  of  the  class  looking  off  of  his  book  and  had 
probably  lost  his  place — one  or  the  other  of  these  conditions 
was  the  signal  for  a  change.  Under  that  plan  little 
time  or  attention  was  ever  given  to  the  thought  of  the 
selection  that  was  being  studied.  The  purpose  of  the 
recitation  was  not  primarily  to  get  information,  or  to 
enjoy  the  selection,  but  rather  to  see  if  all,  or  any,  could 
pronounce  the  words.  Well,  the  above  picture  does  not 
describe  the  ideal  that  I  have  had  in  mind  for  the  past 
month.   We  had  very  little  oral  reading  and  when  we  did, 


PREPARATION     FOR     THE     TEACHERS       MEETING  39 

there  was  a  definite  purpose  in  it — to  settle  some  disputed 
point,  to  get  the  feeling  back  of  the  words,  or  to  see  which 
member  of  the  class  could  give  the  best  interpretation  of 
some  particular  passage. 

During  the  month  we  have  been  doing  all  of  our  reading 
silently.  Speed  and  thought  have  been  our  goals.  To  find 
suitable  material  for  all  of  my  children  has  been  my  task. 
I  felt  that  suitable  material  was  the  first  thing  necessary. 
I  had  to  discover  what  was  suitable.  This  necessitated 
much  reading  on  my  own  part. 

I  have  conducted  the  work  along  three  lines : 

First,  there  was  home  reading.  For  this  I  have  found 
in  our  library  some  supplementary  readers  with  the  con- 
tents of  which  the  children  were  not  familiar.  Some  of 
them  contain  very  interesting  stories  of  some  length, 
stories  that  would  take  a  child  from  two  to  three  hours  of 
consecutive  reading  to  cover.  I  have  given  the  children  a 
little  introduction  to  the  story  assigned — just  enough  to 
whet  their  appetities — and  then  have  fixed  two  or  three 
interesting  goals  for  them  to  attain,  little  problems  to 
solve,  discoveries  to  make  that  the  stories  would  reveal. 
They  were  cautioned  not  to  let  anyone  else  tell  them 
or  read  it  for  them.  They  were  to  report  upon  their 
findings  the  next  morning.  You  will  be  surprised  when  I 
tell  you  that  some  of  my  fourth-grade  children  have  been 
reading  and  getting  the  consecutive  and  detailed  thought 
of  as  much  as  one  hundred  pages  per  night  by  this  method. 
I  have  varied  the  substance  and  the  quantity  according 
to  the  grade  of  the  child. 

Second,  there  was  the  study  period  during  the  school 
day.    For  this  work,  sometimes,  I  have  tried  to  find  a 


40  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

sufficient  number  of  copies  of  the  same  material  in  which 
they  were  to  find,  within  a  given  time,  certain  facts,  answers 
to  certain  questions  which  I  asked.  Some  of  the  answers 
were  evident,  some  were  concealed.  At  other  times  I  have 
presented  to  them  material  of  equal  length  but  of  different 
substance.  After  a  given  time,  each  child  would  report 
his  findings  and  tell  how  much  of  his  material  he  covered. 

Third,  there  was  the  recitation.  During  the  recitation, 
the  same  general  plan  was  used  except  that  the  units  of 
thought  and  the  time  in  which  they  were  to  be  discovered 
were  shorter. 

The  results  have  been  very  great  in  both  of  the  partic- 
ulars in  which  we  have  been  working — speed  has  been 
materially  increased  and  ability  to  get  the  thought  has 
developed  to  a  degree  that  surprises  me. 

The  most  interesting  feature  of  the  work  has  been  to 
see  the  children  themselves  come  to  a  consciousness  of 
what  they  were  trying  to  do.  At  the  beginning  of  our  work, 
speed  was  the  phase  that  impressed  them  most.  A  child, 
in  order  to  be  first,  would  announce  that  he  was  ready  to 
answer.  Sometimes  it  was  found  that  he  had  read  so 
rapidly  that  he  had  not  gotten  the  thought.  He  was  then 
the  victim  of  a  bit  of  ridicule  for  trying  to  go  too  fast. 
After  a  while  it  was  found  that  there  was,  though,  some 
relation  between  fast  reading  and  thought-getting.  The 
fast  readers  usually  got  the  thought  better  than  did  the 
very  slow  readers.  All  of  them  have  now  become  ambitious 
to  read  very  rapidly  and  very  well.  It  has  become  a  most 
interesting  game  to  them. 

Mr.  Moore  came  to  visit  our  school  last  Wednesday  at 
3  P.  M.    We  had  been  looking  for  the  visit  for  a  month. 


PREPARATION     FOR    THE     TEACHERS'     MEETING 


41 


Looking?  Yea,  verily,  even  planning  for  it.  What  do  you 
think  of  that?  I,  I  who  have  always  dreaded  the  visit 
of  even  the  county  superintendent,  as  good  a  friend  as  she 
is,  as  I  would  a  contagious  disease,  have  been  looking 
forward  to  the  visit  of  the  supervisor  as  I  would  to  a  \dsit 
from  you,  Hilda,  except,  of  course,  with  a  different  kind  of 
an  interest.    I  would  look  forward  to  a  visit  from  you  be- 


MR.  MOORE    VISITS    MARTHA  S    SCHOOL 


cause  I  love  you  and  feel  at  ease  when  you  are  around.  I 
looked  forward  to  the  visit  of  Mr.  Moore  because  I  had 
an  interest  in  my  work,  in  the  thing  I  was  trying  to  do, 
and  I  knew  he  would  be  interested  in  the  same  thing.  To 
be  sure,  Mr.  Moore  has  an  agreeable  personal  manner  but 
he  also  has  a  way  of  making  one  forget  all  about  him  as 
an  individual,  and  causes  one  to  think  of  the  thing  that 
one  is  trying  to  do. 

I  wish  you  might  have  seen  him  watch  us  work,  the  kind 
of  interest  he  took  in  the  thing  we  were  doing.  He  can 
say  "Good"  and  "Fine  work"  in  such  a  way  as  to  put  a 
bunch  of  youngsters  right  up  on  their  toes.  The  amusing 
thing  to  me  about  his  observation  was  that  he  sat  there 


42  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

with  that  dreaded  notebook  about  which  I  had  such  an 
awful  nightmare  when  I  first  heard  that  he  was  coming  out 
here  from  the  University.  He  wrote  down  everything  that 
we  did  and  yet  he  did  not  disturb  me  or  the  children  in 
the  least.  We  knew  that  he  was  friendly  and  that  all  that 
he  was  interested  in  was  how  he  could  help  us  to  do  our^ 
work  better.  //  is  not  what  people  do  to  us  that  affects  us, 
it  is  the  way  they  feel  or  the  way  we  think  they  feel,  that 
affects  us. 

I  taught  three  reading  classes  for  Mr.  Moore's  observa- 
tion. I  have  been  more  successful  with  my  third  grade 
than  with  any  other  in  the  school.  I  am  to  teach  a  third- 
grade  class  to-morrow,  for  the  observation  of  the  teachers. 
Miss  Wyman  will  teach  a  sixth-grade  class  and  Miss 
St.  John  will  teach  an  eighth-grade.  Mr.  Moore  says  that 
both  of  them  have  been  very  successful  with  their  work  in 
silent  reading.  I  shall  be  so  glad  to  see  them  teach  for  I 
have  had  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  framing  my  questions 
for  the  reading  classes  in  the  upper  grades.  I  seem  to 
lack  the  knack  of  getting  questions  that  present  a  good 
clear  interesting  problem  for  the  children  in  the  upper 
grades.  Possibly  I  can  catch  the  trick  if  I  can  see  them 
do  it. 

After  our  demonstrations  are  over  to-morrow,  we 
shall  then  discuss  problems  and  answer  questions  that 
have  grown  out  of  the  experience  of  the  teachers  dur- 
ing the  month.  I  have  three  that  I  am  going  to  ask. 
They  are: 

I.  How  can  a  teacher  develop  speed  in  a  child's  reading 
when  there  is  only  one  in  the  grade  and  competition  is 
therefore  impossible? 


PREPARATION  FOR  THE  TEACHERS*   MEETING     43 

2.  What  must  the  problem  in  reading  contain  for  the 
children  in  the  upper  grades  that  the  problem  for  the  lower 
grades  does  not? 

3.  What  is  the  best  plan  for  a  teacher  to  use  to  get  the 
children  to  do  the  most  profitable  type  of  reading  outside 
of  school? 

The  last  of  these  questions,  Hilda,  seems  to  me  to  be 
the  most  important  question  to  be  answered  by  the  schools. 
If  we  could  just  get  children  interested  in  worthwhile 
problems  and  show  them  how  to  find  the  information 
they  need,  they  would  soon  educate  themselves.  Just 
look  at  me  as  a  brilliant  illustration  of  this  point.  I  have 
read  more  that  bore  upon  my  school  work  during  the  past 
month  than  I  have  during  the  two  years  preceding.  I 
read  Huey's  "Psychology  and  Pedagogy  of  Reading" 
during  the  first  week  of  the  month  and  had  discovered 
half  a  dozen  other  books  that  I  felt  I  must  read  at  once. 
During  this  month  I  have  sometimes  galloped  through  a 
book  in  a  night  which  ordinarily  would  have  taken  me  a 
month  to  read.  The  reason  has  been  that  I  had  a  specific 
interest,  a  definite  problem  that  I  was  trying  to  solve.  If 
this  is  true  with  me,  practical,  plodding,  grown-up  woman 
that  I  am,  I  feel  sure  that  it  is  also  true  with  my  children. 
My  task  then,  as  a  teacher,  is  to  discover  problems  in  which 
my  children  will  be  as  much  interested  as  I  have  been  in 
the  problem  of  speed  and  comprehension  in  silent  reading. 

My  life  has  been  so  full  of  the  subject  of  Reading  during 
the  past  month  that  I  have  hardly  thought  of  anything 
else.  It  will  be  a  good  thing  for  me  when  to-morrow  is 
over,  for  that  will  close  for  the  present  our  specialized 
study  and  emphasis  on  reading. 


'44  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

The  schedule  for  the  professional  part  of  the  meeting 
to-morrow  is  as  follows: — We  three  teachers  will  present 
our  lessons.  The  entire  group  will  discuss  them.  Other 
problems  in  reading  will  be  presented  by  other  teachers 
and  discussed  by  the  group.  Then  Mr.  Moore  will  initiate 
the  study  of  language  by  teaching  some  lessons  that  bear 
on  that  subject.  Language  will  be  in  the  foreground  for 
the  next  school  month.  I  don't  see  how  it  can  be  as  interest- 
ing as  the  subject  of  Reading  has  been.  I  shall  make  no 
predictions,  though,  for  I  am  coming  now  to  believe  that 
anything  can  be  interesting  provided  we  know  enough  about 
it  to  see  the  interesting  part.  I  think  probably  Mr.  Moore 
can  show  us  the  interesting  part  in  Language.  You  see, 
Hilda,  I  am  changing  my  mind  somewhat  about  "pro- 
fessors who  wear  spectacles  and  carry  thesis  bags." 

I  am  very  tired  but  not  at  all  sleepy. 

Quite  school  marmish, 

Martha 

HILDA'S   MEDITATIONS 

1.  Why  was  Martha's  community  so  much  excited  over  the 
approaching  visit  of  the  teachers  of  the  Demonstration  District? 
Under  what  conditions  are  visitors  a  help  to  a  community? 

2.  Martha  says  that  failure  is  one  of  the  essentials  of  success. 
That  sounds  like  a  paradox.   To  what  extent  is  that  true? 

3.  If  Martha  had  visited  my  school  recently,  I  would  have  the 
feeling  that  she  was  describing  one  of  my  reading  classes  in  the 
early  part  of  her  discussion.  I  wonder  if  she  means  to  throw  over- 
board all  oral  reading?  Does  she  mean  to  imply  that  the  recitation 
should  be  so  guided  as  not  to  be  used  for  disciplining  an  indifferent 
or  mischievous  child? 

4.  Martha's  three  ways  of  stimulating  rapid  reading  are  very 
interesting  to  me.    Would  not  this  require  much  more  reading 


PREPARATION  FOR  THE  TEACHERS   MEETING      45 

material  than  the  parents  would  be  willing  to  provide?  How 
might  it  be  provided  for  the  school?  How  could  it  best  be  used  in 
order  to  get  the  best  results  in  a  campaign  to  increase  speed  in 
reading? 

5.  What  is  it  that  has  so  changed  Martha's  attitude  toward 
"a  spectacled  professor  with  a  thesis  bag?"  Is  it  what  he  does  or 
the  way  in  which  he  does  it  that  has  made  the  change?  Is  it 
both? 

6.  What  should  a  supervisor  do  when  he  visits  a  school?  Should 
he  criticize  the  work?   Praise  it?   How?   When?   To  whom? 

7.  What  should  be  the  attitude  of  a  teacher  toward  the  visit  of 
the  supervisor?  What  could  she  do  in  preparation  for  his  visit  that 
would  be  most  fruitful  in  good  results  to  the  school?  How  could 
she  capitalize  his  visit?  What  results  should  she  expect  to  come 
from  his  visit?  Should  she  hold  herself,  or  the  supervisor  responsible 
for  results? 

8.  Those  three  questions  which  Martha  was  going  to  propound 
to  the  group  seem  to  me  to  be  very  important.  How  would  I 
answer  them? 

9.  Why  has  Martha  read  so  much  more  during  the  past  month 
than  ever  before  during  the  same  length  of  time?  Is  she  not  the 
same  girl  she  has  always  been?  Is  she  not  doing  the  same  sort  of 
work  that  she  has  been  doing?   Why,  then,  this  difference? 

10.  How  long  would  it  take  to  conduct  a  meeting  such  as  Martha 
says  they  were  to  have?  In  rural  schools  about  fifteen  minutes  are 
allowed  for  each  recitation— would  a  program  with  an  hour  of 
demonstration  teaching  be  too  long?  How  much  discussion  should 
follow  an  hour's  demonstration  teaching? 

What  Hilda  Read  ix  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Teaching  the  Common  Branches-Charters.    Chapter  V. 
Eighteenth    Year    Book — Reading — Gray.      Part     II.      National 

Society  for  the  Scientific  Study  of  Education. 
The  Supervision  of  Instruction — Nutt.    Chapters  I  and  XVI. 
The  Value  of  School  Supervision — Pittman.    Chapter  IV. 

Successful  T. — 4 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    teachers'    CLUB   PROVES   ITSELF   A 
WORKING   ORGANIZATION 

Sunday,  November  2 
My  dear  Hilda: 

I  am  glad  that  you  have  asked  me  to  tell  you  everything 
we  do  in  our  Demonstration  Helping-Teacher  District. 
I  should  have  told  you  anyway,  of  course,  but  it  eases  my 
conscience  to  learn  that  you  are  anxious  to  know  just  what 
we  are  doing.  I  shall  do  my  best  but  even  that  will  not 
do  the  situation  justice,  I  fear. 

You  should  be  here  with  us.  If  it  were  not  for  asking 
you  to  break  your  contract — a  thing  that  I  abhor  in 
teachers— I  would  ask  you  to  resign  and  come  down  here 
and  take  the  Rondell  No.  7  school,  just  three  miles  from 
me.  They  have  a  brand  new  school  building  and  cannot 
get  a  teacher.  They  had  one  but  she  stayed  only  a  week. 
That  school  was  to  have  been  in  our  demonstration,  but 
it  will  have  to  drop  out  now,  I  suppose.  Wouldn't  it  be 
grand  if  you  could  be  here?  We  could  talk,  dream,  plan, 
and  work  to  our  own  satisfaction. 

The  meeting  yesterday  was  the  best  that  I  have  ever  had 
the  privilege  of  attending  where  teachers  were  the  respon- 
sible parties.  I  have  a  respect  for  my  Drofession  to-day  that 
I  have  never  had  before.  The  group  of  teachers  that  I  saw 
at  work  yesterday  has  convinced  me  that  teachers  can  do 
and  will  do  fine  things  if  they  are  given  a  real  opportunity. 

46 


THE    TEACHERS       CLUB 


47 


I  was  at  the  schoolhouse  yesterday  morning  by  seven- 
thirty  to  see  that  the  building  was  warm  and  everything 
in  order.  By  ten  o'clock  the  people  were  all  there.  I  wish 
you  could  have  seen  them  coming  in.  Miss  St.  John 
came  in  her  car  and  brought  her  eighth-grade  children  and 
Miss  Bogard.  Mr.  Ransom,  our  one  man  teacher,  came 
from  Marshfield  and  brought  a  carload  of  the  teachers 


COMING    TO    THE    TEACHERS     MEETING 

from  the  southwest  corner  of  the  zone.  Miss  Beulah 
Walker  came  in  her  father's  delivery  car  and  brought  the 
fifth-grade  children  from  Warren  with  whom  Miss  Wyman 
demonstrated  in  her  teaching.  The  last  to  come  was  Mr. 
Moore  who  had  started  early  and  had  gone  to  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  zone  to  get  Misses  Fish,  Fox,  Noel 
and  Walton. 

It  was  cold  Friday  night.  The  ground  was  well  frozen 
in  the  early  morning  but  before  the  cars  could  arrive,  the 
daily  thaw  had  taken  place  The  top  soil  was  all  mud. 
In  spite  of  the  mud,  however,  everybody  who  needed  to 
be  there  was  there. 


48  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

The  morning  session  passed  before  we  realized  it.  We 
were  so  much  interested  in  reading  that  no  one  thought  to 
look  at  his  watch  until  the  patrons  of  the  school  began  to 
arrive  at  noon  with  their  baskets  of  dinner. 

As  I  told  you  in  my  last  letter,  Miss  St.  John,  Miss 
Wyman,  and  I  taught  demonstration  lessons.  Imagine  it, 
Hilda.  Imagine  it  if  you  can.  I,  who  one  month  ago  al- 
most fainted  at  the  thought  of  the  annual  visit  of  the 
County  Superintendent,  stood  right  up  in  the  presence  of 
fifteen  teachers,  twenty-five  children,  and  a  few  other 
folks,  and  taught  a  lesson  in  reading.  I  taught  it,  not  just 
to  teach  the  children,  but  to  illustrate  an  idea  and  to  pro- 
vide a  basis  for  discussion.  I  did  it,  too,  without  a  quiver 
of  the  voice  or  the  expected  stage  fright,  and  so  did  the 
other  girls.  Gemdne  interest  in  a  problem  has  a  umy  of 
making  one  forget  his  surroundings. 

When  our  demonstrations  were  over,  we  had  our  session 
of  discussion.  Everyone  had  some  question  that  he  wanted 
answered.  The  questions  all  showed  that  every  teacher 
had  been  working  on  the  problems  of  silent  reading,  had 
been  thinking  about  them,  reading  about  them,  and 
experimenting  with  them.  There  were  no  formal  speeches, 
no  papers  on  the  subject,  but  there  were  real  questions 
and  real  answers.  We  could  not  answer  all  of  the  ques- 
tions they  raised,  but  we  got  the  seat  of  the  difficulties 
more  clearly  located,  so  as  to  know  where  w;e  left  off  and 
where  we  must  take  up  the  study  when  yfe  come  to  it 
again. 

The  three  questions  which  I  submitted  (referred  to  in 
my  last  letter)  were  those  that  had  seemed  of  most  vital 
importance   to   practically   everyone   in   the   group.     To 


II 


THE     teachers'     CLUB  49 

these  were  added  two  others.  Our  discussion  time  was 
devoted,  therefore,  to  five  questions. 

I  cannot  give  you  all  the  details  of  the  discussion  but,  in 
brief,  it  was  as  follows : 

Query  i.  How  can  a  teacher  develop  speed  in  a  child's 
reading  when  there  is  but  one  in  a  grade  and  competition 
is  therefore  impossible? 

Answer.  Read  to  the  child  in  such  a  way  as  to  interest 
him  in  reading  and  then  leave  him  to  finish  the  story.  In- 
spire him  to  read  and  give  the  result  of  his  reading  to  a 
group.  Let  him  participate  in  the  contribution  to  the 
social  life  of  the  school  as  a  result  of  his  reading.  Stimulate 
home  reading  of  interesting  stories. 

Query  2.  What  must  the  problems  for  children  in  the 
upper  grades  contain  that  the  problems  for  the  lower  grades 
do  not? 

Answer.  The  problems  must  always  be  on  the  child's 
level.  If  the  problem  is  too  easy  for  the  child,  he  will  be 
disgusted  with  it.  It  must  continue  to  call  out  the  best 
there  is  in  him  and  let  him  feel  that  he  is  in  a  contest  worthy 
of  him.  The  hidden  meanings,  the  implications,  the  under- 
lying principles,  the  conclusions,  must  therefore  be  the 
sort  of  things  which  the  upper  grade  child's  problems  con- 
tain. Problems  that  call  for  stated  facts  are  the  sort  suit- 
able for  the  lower  grades. 

Query  j.  What  is  the  best  plan  for  a  teacher  to  use  to  get 
children  to  do  the  most  profitable  reading  outside  of  school? 

Answer.  Tempt  the  children  through  Morning  Exercises, 
casual  class  references  to  books,  etc.,  to  become  interested 
in  reading  certain  books  which  are  of  interest  and  profit  to 
the  child.   Use  the  reading  of  the  children  for  a  social  pur- 


50  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

pose  by  encouraging  them  to  tell  the  stories  of  what  they 
have  read  to  the  school.  Other  minor  suggestions  were 
given  as  answers  to  this  question. 

Query  4.  What  shall  be  done  for  large  boys  who  have  not 
learned  to  read  well  while  young,  and  have  come  to  have  a 
distaste  for  reading? 

Answer.  Treat  them  just  as  you  would  any  other  child, 
that  is,  start  on  their  level  with  the  thing  they  do  like. 
It  may  be  a  low  level.  Indian  stories,  frontier  life,  etc., 
will  usually  make  an  appeal  to  them.  Do  not  preach  to 
them.  Let  them  feel  that  they  are  directing  their  own 
choices. 

Query  5.  What  should  be  done  with  the  child  who  is  al- 
ways the  last  in  his  group  to  find  the  solution  to  the  reading 
problem  assigned? 

Answer.  He  is  probably  in  a  group  to  which  he  does 
not  belong.  Permit  him  to  compete  with  a  lower  group. 
Let  him  feel  the  thrill  that  comes  from  success.  He  and 
his  parents  will  probably  come  to  feel  that  he  will  do  better 
work  and  get  better  results  in  a  lower  group  which  works 
with  an  easier  type  of  material. 

The  morning  session  over,  we  had  dinner.  It  was 
beautifully  served  by  Mrs.  Worthy,  Mrs.  Grand,  and  Mrs. 
Sailes.  A  temporary  table  was  erected  and  the  guests 
passed  before  it  and  were  served  in  cafeteria  fashion. 

Every  guest  was  thoroughly  delighted  with  the  dinner 
and  the  general  manifestation  of  hospitality.  The  people 
of  the  community  were  also  pleased  and  felt  honored  that 
they  were  the  first  to  have  the  privilege  of  entertaining 
the  teachers  at  a  community  dinner. 


THE     TEACHERS       CLUB  51 

The  noon  hour  passed  all  too  soon.  While  some  were 
still  finishing  their  chicken  bones,  the  president  of  our 
club,  Miss  Wyman,  called  the  meeting  to  order. 

''Ladies  and  gentlemen,"  she  said— "Mr.  Moore  is  the 
director  in  the  forenoons.  We  teachers  are  the  directors  in 
the  afternoon.  In  the  forenoons  we  do  what  we  have 
planned  as  a  part  of  our  professional  work.  In  the  after- 
noon we  do  what  we  have  planned  as  a  part  of  our  social 
hfe. 

"At  our  organization  meeting  a  month  ago,  it  was  sug- 
gested that  we  have  some  committees  composed  of  teachers 
who  would  make  a  study  of  other  problems  besides  those 
which  we  would  study  under  the  leadership  of  our  helping- 
teacher.  After  conferring  with  the  teachers,  I  appointed 
five  committees  to  undertake  these  studies.  Three  teachers 
are  on  each  committee.  We  have  asked  them  to  see  what 
they  could  do  on  five  subjects.  We  have  made  two  require- 
ments of  these  committees.  They  must  present  reports 
that  \\dll  be  helpful  to  us  teachers  in  our  work.  They 
must  also  make  them  in  such  a  form  that  they  will  be 
interesting  to  the  people  of  the  communities  who  serve  as 
our  hostesses  during  the  year. 

"The  topics  for  the  reports  and  the  dates  on  which  they 
are  to  be  given  are  the  following : 

"First.    Morning  Exercises :   November  i. 

''Second.  Teaching  History  in  Country  Schools:  No- 
vember 22, 

''Third.  Teaching  Geography  in  Country  Schools :  Jan- 
uary 24. 

"Fourth.  Teaching  Agriculture  in  Country  Schools :  Feb- 
ruary 21. 


52  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING     IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

^' Fifth.  Teaching  Hygiene  in  Country  Schools :  March 
20. 

"I  am  pleased  to  announce  that  we  have  a  full  attendance 
of  the  first  committee  who  will  report  on  Morning  Exer- 
cises. Miss  Liberty,  teacher  of  the  primary  room  at 
Marshfield,  is  the  Chairman  of  that  committee.  I  am 
happy  to  yield  the  floor  to  her." 

"Madam  President,"  Miss  Liberty  began,  "when  you 
appointed  us  on  this  committee  one  month  ago,  we  were 
all  greatly  frightened.  As  Mr.  Ransom  said,  we  have  been 
having  morning  exercises  for  years,  as  pupils  or  as  teachers, 
but  how  to  tell  about  what  to  do,  so  that  it  would  be  help- 
ful to  teachers  and  entertaining  to  patrons — that  is  a  very 
different  matter.  But  we  have  been  ^  working  on  our 
assigned  task.  We  were  not  willing  to  let  the  very  first 
committee  fall  down  on  its  report. 

"On  our  way  home  from  the  meeting  a  month  ago,  we 
agreed  on  a  few  general  propositions  by  which  we  would  be 
guided  in  our  study  of  the  question.  After  a  month  of 
study  those  propositions  remain  just  about  as  we  form- 
ulated them  that  afternoon.  They  mean  more  to  us  now 
than  they  did  then  but  the  wording  of  them  is  almost  un- 
changed. Words,  you  know,  have  meaning  according  to 
the  extent  of  the  experience  back  of  them  in  the  person 
who  uses  the  words.  A  college  boy  could  use  the  same 
words  in  a  speech  that  the  President  of  the  United  States 
could,  but  there  would  be  a  great  deal  of  difference  in  the 
experience  back  of  the  words.  So  the  propositions  that  we 
made  a  month  ago  have  come  to  have  real  meaning  as 
we  have  thought  about  them  and  worked  on  them.  We 
agreed — 


THE    TEACHERS      CLUB  53 

"That  we  would  present  those  matters  at  morning 
exercise  which  children  should  know  but  of  which  the 
limits  of  the  daily  schedule  of  the  country  school  do 
not  admit  the  systematic  presentation. 

''That,  in  so  far  as  possible,  we  would  present  those 
subjects  that  would  make  an  appeal  to  all  of  the  school. 

"That  we  would  plan  our  morning  exercise  periods 
with  the  children,  and  do  it  in  advance,  so  that  they 
might  live  somewhat  in  anticipation  of  what  was  to  be 
presented. 

"That  we  would  make  the  exercises  as  democratic  as 
possible  by  encouraging  the  children  to  assume  their  part 
of  the  responsibility. 

"That  we  would^  use  the  morning  exercises  to  give  the 
children  a  large  fund  of  knowledge  of  many  subjects  and 
that  we  would  also  use  it  to  help  them  acquire  a  group  of 
'skills'  that  would  function  in  their  daily  lives. 

"These  may  sound  somewhat  like  some  of  the  old 
Chaldean  laws  that  used  to  be  printed  in  our  ancient 
histories,  but  we  hope  to  make  them  more  concrete  before 
we  are  through. 

"Since  I  was  appointed  chairman,  Mr.  Ransom  and 
Miss  Steinberg  insisted  that  I  take  the  task  of  talking 
about  things  in  general  and  that  I  let  them  each  do  some- 
thing in  particular.  I  think  I  can  say  that  I  have  had  the 
work  and  they  have  had  the  play  of  the  committee.  That 
is  always  the  way  with  a  poor  chairman.  I  have  been 
reading  books  on  the  subject.  I  have  been  trying  out  new 
schemes  almost  every  day.  I  have  been  testing  this 
theory  and  trying  that  plan  and  mulHng  over  the  other 
proposition.    I  have  not  really  proved  or  disproved  any- 


54  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

thing.  Four  weeks  is  too  short  a  time  to  prove  any  one 
thing,  to  say  nothing  of  proving  twenty  different  things. 

''I  have,  though,  come  to  one  conclusion  which  is  pretty 
sound,  I  think.  That  conclusion  is  that  there  is  no  scarcity 
of  good  material  for  morning  exercises.  Any  one  of  twenty 
different  ideas  is  big  enough  to  provide  plenty  of  material 
to  last  for  a  year  if  one  wanted  to  pursue  it  so  long.  I 
don't  think  one  would  want  to  go  to  that  extreme,  but  I 
do  believe  that  a  teacher  might  well  keep  one  general 
line  of  thought  for  a  number  of  days,  or  even  weeks,  with 
great  profit  and  great  pleasure  to  all  concerned.  This 
would  demand  some  thought,  some  planning,  and  some 
effort.  But  I  have  decided  that  planning  and  effort  will  be 
necessary  to  make  a  success  of  any  kind  of  morning  exercise. 

"In  thinking  over  the  types  of  material  that  might  be 
presented,  it  has  seemed  to  me  that  they  may  be  grouped 
under  three  topics:    Knowledge,  Arts,  and  Appreciation. 

"To  be  sure,  you  may  say  that  all  of  our  school  work 
can  be  grouped  in  the  same  way.  I  do  not  object.  Why 
should  the  morning  exercise  be  so  different  in  general 
purpose  from  the  work  for  the  rest  of  the  day?  After  all, 
what  we  want  to  do  is  to  give  the  children  the  information 
that  they  need  for  life.  Give  them  those  'skills'  upon 
which  they  must  depend  for  efficient  action.  Build  up  in 
them  those  powers  of  appreciation  that  will  make  them 
able  to  enjoy  all  that  is  good  of  the  past  and  the  present, 
and  find  joy  in  the  contemplation  of  the  future.  I  have 
found  during  this  month  that  my  children  have  learned  so 
much  and  have  been  so  happy  during  our  morning  exercise 
periods,  that  I  have  been  contemplating  making  my  entire 
day  a  sort  of  a  morning  exercise  period.    I  believe  that  I 


THE    teachers'    CLUB  55 

could  work  it  so  that  both  they  and  I  would  be  happier 
and  wiser.  It  would  be  less  like  school,  to  be  sure,  but  it 
would  be  more  like  life. 

"Now  to  come  to  the  point.  What  kinds  of  material 
can  we  present  under  KNOWLEDGE? 

"Current  Opinion. — -I  would  mention  first  of  all,  Cur- 
rent Opinion  or  Current  Events.  I  have  found  that  with 
a  little  study  of  materials  there  is  no  limit  to  the  possibilities 
of  this  subject.  To  be  sure,  children  have  to  be  guided  in 
the  selection  and  preparation  of  the  material.  But  that  is 
true  of  any  other  subject.  One  of  the  great  advantages  of 
this  subject  is  that  children  become  acquainted  with 
people,  places,  public  policies,  programs  and  ideals  of 
action.  They  come  to  know  the  great  needs,  the  great 
resources,  the  great  hopes  of  the  world.  While  doing  this, 
they  are  learning  to  read  in  a  purposeful  way  and  to  report 
what  they  read  in  a  manner  that  has  point.  They  are 
learning  to  participate  in  the  great  affairs  of  the  world 
while  they  are  yet  young. 

"Historical  Facts.— Next  in  interest  to  Current  Events 
are  Famous  People,  I  think.  This  opens  up  a  whole  world 
of  resources.  I  found  that  my  children  were  greatly 
interested  in  great  citizens  of  our  own  state.  Of  course, 
they  are  no  less  interested  in  great  Americans.  We  can 
take  this  on  to  great  inventors,  great  statesmen,  great 
soldiers,  great  poets,  great  labor  leaders,  great  bank- 
ers, etc.  Children  like  to  revel  in  the  deeds  of  heroic 
achievement  and  we  must  give  them  an  opportunity  to 
do  so  in  situations  that  are  as  near  normal  as  possible. 
If  we  have  a  child  study  the  life  of  George  Washington  for 
his  history  lesson,  he  will  do  it  with  a  sense  of  duty  about 


56  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

it.  If  we  let  him  tell  about  Washington  at  the  morning 
exercises,  he  will  do  so  with  a  sense  of  privilege  about  it. 
Let's  multiply  those  privileges  of  the  school  and  we  shall 
multiply  the  joy  of  school. 

"Geographical  Facts. — Do  you  grown-up  folks  remember 
when  you  used  to  wish  you  were  a  brownie,  or  a  fairy,  or 
an  angel,  so  that  you  could  go  wherever  you  wanted  to  go, 
get  there  instantly,  and  get  back  just  by  thinking  about 
it?  That  is  a  manifestation  of  the  child's  desire  for  travel. 
He  wants  to  see  strange  people  and  places.  Do  you  recall 
how  you  used  to  look  at  the  pictures  in  the  geographies  of 
the  strange  things  in  other  lands?  You  were  taking  little 
trips  into  the  land  of  wonders  and  of  dreams.  We  should 
use  this  native  interest  in  our  children  to  good  ends.  How 
they  would  like  to  know  of  the  world's  ten  greatest  cities 
and  why  they  are  the  greatest!  What  are  the  world's  ten 
most  important  rivers,  and  why  are  they  important? 
What  are  the  world's  ten  highest  mountains  and  how 
do  they  happen  to  be  where  they  are,  and  what  is  the 
effect  of  those  facts  on  the  people  who  live  around  them? 

"Geography  is  the  biggest,  most  interesting,  most  un- 
developed of  all  of  our  gold  mines  of  thought.  I  am  stag- 
gered by  its  possibilities.  I  leave  it  for  you  to  delve  into 
with  the  assurance  that  there  is  gold  there  in  abundance 
for  the  morning  exercise  period. 

"Industrial  Facts. — Growing  right  out  of  geography  are 
the  industrial  facts  that  mean  so  much  to  our  social  and 
economic  life.  I  asked  Harold  Voss  the  other  morning 
where  he  got  his  breakfast  and  as  a  result,  had  the  most 
interesting  twenty  minutes  with  my  children  that  I  have 
had  this  year.    With  the  map,  we  traced  all  of  the  things 


THE    TEACHERS       CLUB  57 

that  he  said  he  had,  from  where  they  were  grown  until 
they  arrived  at  Marshfield.  Other  interesting  questions 
that  we  have  tried  to  answer  are:  'Why  was  not  Dakota 
settled  before  Oregon?'  'Why  is  Amberville  larger  than 
Marshfield? '  '  Why  does  California  not  want  the  Japanese 
to  settle  there?'  You  see,  friends,  that  there  is  no  end  to 
interesting  material  in  this  field.  It  is  material,  too,  in 
which  children  in  the  first  grade  will  be  almost  as  much 
interested  as  will  children  in  the  eighth  grade. 

"When  I  began  my  study  on  this  subject,  I  did  not  see 
how  I  could  possibly  make  a  talk  of  more  than  five  minutes 
on  it.  Here  I  have  spoken  for  thirty  minutes  and  have 
barely  touched  the  high  spots  of  only  one  phase  of  it.  I  see 
Mr.  Ransom  and  Miss  Steinberg  both  looking  daggers  at 
me  for  fear  that  I  will  not  leave  them  any  time.  I  must  say 
a  word  about  the  Arts  and  then  I  will  yield  the  floor  to  them. 

"Arts  or  Skills. — By  the  Arts,  I  mean  the  way  we  do 
things.  I  presume  a  better  word  would  be  'the  skills.' 
I  mean  those  things  that  we  do  as  a  result  of  physical 
habits  and  physical  control. 

"First,  we  may  think  of  those  that  relate  to  physical 
exercise  for  the  purpose  of  bodily  growth.  I  shall  not  dis- 
cuss this  phase  for  I  see  that  we  are  to  have  a  report  by  a 
committee  on  hygiene  later  in  the  year,  and  I  presume  that 
committee  will  develop  this  phase  of  the  subject.  Of 
course,  we  all  know  how  much  children  enjoy  physical 
expression,  whether  it  be  in  games  or  in  directed  drills. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  these  have  their  place  in  the  morning 
exercises. 

"The  second  kind  of  skills  to  which  I  wish  to  direct 
your  attention  is  that  which  deals  with  artistic,  manual 


58  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

achievement.  Of  these  skills,  penmanship,  drawing,  and 
the  so-called  manual  arts  represent  one  group.  All  of 
these  are  arts  of  the  hand.  No  less  important  is  singing, 
an  art  of  the  voice.  With  all  of  these,  I  believe  that  the 
principle  which  I  announced  in  the  beginning  should  be 
kept  in  mind  and  applied.  I  refer  to  the  principle  of  con- 
tinuing one  subject  until  perceptible  results  are  secured.  I 
believe  that  one  month  of  close  concentrated  attention  to 
vocal  music,  to  penmanship,  to  drawing,  woodwork,  or 
any  other  task  where  muscular  habit  and  skill  are  in- 
volved, is  far  better  than  a  much  longer  time  but  where 
less  thought,  concentration,  and  closely  connected  repe- 
tition are  involved. 

"Friends,  I  shall  not  discuss  the  subject  of  appreciation 
for  that  will  be  dealt  with  by  Mr.  Ransom  and  Miss 
Steinberg. 

"If  my  discussion  has  convinced  you,  as  my  study  and 
experimenting  have  convinced  me,  that  the  morning 
exercise  can  and  should  be  the  very  finest  period  of  the 
day,  then  I  shall  not  regret  the  fear  that  I  have  endured 
at  the  thought  of  facing  you,  the  work  that  I  have  done 
in  order  to  have  something  to  present,  or  the  mud  that  I 
have  had  to  wade  through  this  morning  when  the  Ford 
got  stuck,  in  order  to  get  here." 

I  never  believed  it,  Hilda,  but  it  is  true.  One  month  of 
real  hard  work  on  a  big  job  is  enough  to  change  a  hesitating, 
blushing  girl  into  a  composed,  purposeful  woman.  Miss 
Liberty  really  looked  regal  as  she  presented  her  report. 
As  she  talked,  a  fine  glow  came  to  her  cheeks.  There  was 
conviction  in  her  words,  and  in  her  tone  there  was  an 


THE    teachers'    CLUB  59 

element  that  seemed  to  say:  "I  know,  for  I  have  tried 
it." 

Mr.  Ransom  was  the  next  speaker.  He  has  a  sort  of 
droll  humor  that  kept  the  crowd  roaring  with  laughter 
much  of  the  time.  I  shall  not  try  to  repeat  all  that  he  said. 
I  couldn't  do  it  and  besides,  you  have  to  hear  him  say  it 
in  order  to  appreciate  what  he  says.  He  spoke  in  part  as 
follows : — 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen. — I  am  to  tell  you  all  about  the 
appreciation  of  pictures  in  the  next  twenty  minutes. 
Since  picture-making  is  as  old  as  man  himself,  of  course, 
after  a  month  of  study  I  know  all  about  it.  For  the  past 
month  I  have  fed  picture  appreciation  to  my  cows  and 
horses.  I  have  driven  Henry  Ford  with  it.  Mrs.  Ransom 
says  that  I  have  eaten  it  and  slept  it.  Well,  perhaps  it 
will  reduce  the  high  cost  of  living  if  I  can  do  a  little  more 
high  thinking — and  a  little  less  high  eating. 

"The  girls.  Miss  Liberty  and  Miss  Steinberg,  said  that 
I  must  take  picture  study  as  my  phase  of  the  report.  I 
suppose  they  thought  it  so  much  in  keeping  with  my  dehcate 
body  and  artistic  temperament"  (he  is  six  feet  two  and 
weighs  two  seventy-five).  "Possibly  they  thought  it 
would  be  worth  the  price  of  admission  to  hear  me  dis- 
course on  something  about  which  they  knew  that  I  knew 
absolutely  nothing.  Well,  I  hope  they  will  be  satisfied  when 
I  am  through.  Joke  or  no  joke,  though,  I  have  been  the 
gainer. 

"I  started  out  on  this  search  for  my  'golden  fleece' 
with  one  good  point — ^the  consciousness  that  I  knew 
absolutely  nothing  about  it.  In  the  old  days  when  I 
went  to  school,  twenty-five  years  ago,  the  teachers  had 


6o  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

the  idea  of  'readin',  ritin'  and  'rithmetic,  taught  to  the 
tune  of  the  hickory  stick'  and  there  was  none  of  this 
picture  study  folderol  around.  You  can  be  sure  of  that. 
The  only  thing  that  I  knew  about  a  masterpiece  was 
what  I  could  see  of  it — which  was  plenty — sticking  up 
behind  the  teacher's  desk.  That  was  the  masterpiece  in 
our  school.  We  had  a  new  one  occasionally  but  not  until 
the  old  one  was  worn  out. 

"When  I  went  home  from  our  meeting  four  weeks  ago 
to-day  and  told  Mrs.  Ransom  that  I  was  to  make  a  report 
on  Picture  Appreciation,  she  was  amused  and  astonished 
that  I  should  be  given  such  an  assignment.  You  may  be, 
also,  before  I  get  through  telhng  about  what  I  did. 

"To  begin  with,  I  got  in  my  Ford  on  the  following  morn- 
ing and  went  right  up  to  Amberville  and  laid  my  troubles 
before  L.  C.  Jones.  Everybody  calls  him  'Art'  because 
he  is  the  art  teacher  at  the  Normal  School.  Jones  is  a 
good  sensible  sort  of  a  fellow  and  sized  me  up  very  quickly. 
Soon  he  said — 'Now,  Ransom,  I'll  tell  you  what  to  do.' 
'That's  what  I  am  up  here  for,'  said  I.  'I  am  going  to 
lend  you  fifteen  pictures  that  have  a  rural  atmosphere.' 
He  could  see  that  I  was  a  country  Jake.  'You  take  those 
fifteen  pictures  and  give  one  each  to  fifteen  children  in  your 
school  to  study.  Have  each  fellow  learn  all  that  he  can 
about  the  artist  who  painted  it,  the  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  painted  and  how  it  is  ranked  among  the  works 
of  that  artist.  Then  have  each  youngster  report  on  his 
picture  at  a  morning  exercise  period.  I  shall  give  you  some 
short,  interesting  biographical  sketches  about  the  artists 
who  painted  these  pictures.  I  shall  also  give  you  some 
simple  interpretations  of  them.    You  read  them  and  then 


THE     teachers'     CLUB  6l 

keep  the  books  on  your  desk  for  your  children  to  read 
whenever  it  is  convenient.  I  shall  give  you  the  catalogs 
of  a  number  of  publishing  houses  that  make  and  sell 
cheap  but  most  excellent  reproductions  of  these  pictures. 
You  might  read  these  through  for  suggestions.  You  will 
find  little  postage  stamp  pictures  in  them  of  practically  all 
of  the  world's  great  masterpieces  of  painting  and  of  sculp- 
ture.' 

"Jones  gave  me  five  pictures  that  represent  tame 
animals,  five  that  represent  rural  people,  and  five  that 
represent  rural  scenes.  I  have  those  pictures  here  to-day. 
I  wish  to  devote  the  remainder  of  my  talk  to  telling  you 
what  my  children  told  when  they  reported  on  the  pictures 
to  the  school." 

Mr.  Ransom  had  the  pictures  mounted  and  hung  them 
quickly  on  the  wall  of  the  room.  I  have  heard  several 
art  lectures  by  specialists  in  that  line,  but  I  have  never 
heard  one  that  gave  such  understandable  and  sympa- 
thetic interpretation  of  the  rural  pictures  as  did  Mr. 
Ransom's.  At  times  he  was  killingly  amusing.  Right 
on  the  heels  of  his  humor,  he  would  present  the  real  spirit 
of  the  study  in  such  a  way  that  it  went  home  to  all  who 
heard. 

When  he  was  through  with  these  fifteen  pictures,  he 
then  said:  *'Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  this  is  all  very 
good.  I  am  glad  that  I  had  to  do  this  study.  I  am  wiser 
and  happier  because  of  it.  You  are  probably  happier,  if 
not  wiser,  that  I  am  almost  through.  The  difficulty  with 
most  of  this  is  that  the  artists  who  painted  these  pictures 
are  all  dead.  The  things  which  these  pictures  portray  are 
far  away  in  Europe.    We  are  a  little  too  prone,  I  fear,  to 

Successful  T.— 5 


62  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

think  that  all  beautiful  scenes  are  in  distant  lands  or  on 
the  canvas  and  that  all  of  the  things  that  are  worth  paint- 
ing are  far  away  from  where  we  live. 

"The  other  day  I  went  to  visit  my  friend,  Alfred  Wentzie, 
one  of  the  editors  of  The  Middle  West  Farmer.  Wentzie  is 
a  farmer  but  he  is  also  an  artist.  He  has  an  artist's  appre- 
ciation of  the  beautiful.  He  likes  to  create  beauty.  More 
than  that,  he  has  his  eyes  trained  to  see  the  beautiful 
here  on  our  plains.  On  the  walls  of  his  office  hung  some 
pictures  which  I  think  far  excel  anything  that  Rosa  Bon- 
heur,  Millet,  Corot,  or  any  of  the  other  so-called  masters 
ever  painted.  Those  pictures  which  hung  on  the  walls  of 
Wentzie 's  office  were  painted  by  two  of  the  world's  greatest 
artists  working -together.  The  artists,  to  whom  I  refer, 
were  the  idealistic  practical  farmers  of  our  own  state  and 
the  Supreme  Architect  of  the  Universe. 

"I  have  brought  those  five  pictures  here  to-day  to  show 
them  to  you.  Look  at  them  and  see  if  you  do  not  agree 
with  me  when  I  say  that  we  have  animals  and  scenes  here 
in  Gem  County  which  are  beautiful  enough  to  inspire 
anyone  who  has  the  artist  within  him. 

"I  have  been  greatly  moved,  friends,  by  the  interest  that 
my  children  have  taken  in  this  work  during  the  past 
month.  I  myself  have  begun  to  see  that  beauty  is  largely 
based  upon  knowledge.  Knowledge  and  appreciation 
can  come  by  cultivation.  If  we  want  a  beauty-loving 
people,  we  must  expose  our  children  to  beauty.  We  must 
inform  them  so  that  they  can  discriminate  the  beautiful 
from  that  which  is  ugly  and  vile.  This  cannot  be  done  in  a 
month.  Much  can  be  done,  though,  in  a  month.  If  we 
were  to  devote  even  one  month  each  year  to  'Seeing  the 


THE     teachers'     CLUB  63 

Beautiful,'  I  think  that  we  might   develop  through   our 
schools  a  race  of  beauty  lovers.   Let's  try  it!" 

A  regular  pandemonium  of  applause  followed  Mr. 
Ransom's  talk.  He  shunted  the  compliment  by  saying  that 
the  audience  was  no  gladder  that  he  was  through  than  he 
himself  was. 

"I  was  glad,"  said  Miss  Steinberg,  "that  Miss  Liberty 
and  Mr.  Ransom  were  willing  that  I  should  have  music  as 
my  part  of  the  report  on  Morning  Exercises. 

"  On  Monday  morning  after  our  last  meeting,  I  began 
the  exercises  by  telling  my  children  that  I  was  in  trouble. 
They  wanted  to  know  what  it  was.  I  explained  that  I  had 
to  make  a  talk  on  'Music  in  the  Country  Schools'  at  the 
next  teachers'  meeting  and  that  I  did  not  know  what  to 
say.    I  needed  their  help  and  suggestion. 

"'Aw,  that's  easy,  Miss  Steinberg.'  said  Freddie.  'We 
can  tell  'em  how  to  get  enough  music  to  last  for  a  whole 
year.' 

"That  was  quite  a  rebuke  to  me.  I  thought  that  if 
Freddie  was  so  confident  about  it,  I  should  not  be  down- 
hearted. 

"I  asked  for  suggestions  and  they  came  in  abundance. 
One  said — 'Tell  them  how  to  use  the  graphophone.' 
Another  said — ^'Tell  them  about  the  national  anthems  of 
all  the  allied  nations.'  Anna,  my  little  sister,  who  has  be- 
come very  much  interested  in  grand  opera  since  we  got  our 
new  Caruso  and  Farrar  records,  said — 'Tell  them  to  get 
grand  opera  and  use  the  graphophone.'  Walter  Hazelhash 
wanted  me  to  tell  you  to  use  funny  songs.  Someone  else 
suggested  church  music.    A  boy  who  had  just  moved  in 


64      SUCCESSFUL  TEACHING  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS 

from  Wisconsin  and  had  just  learned  our  state  song  sug- 
gested that  I  advocate  learning  all  of  the  state  songs.  You 
can  see  that  there  was  an  abundance  of  suggestion  and  an 
abundance  of  material. 

''The  problem  was  not  SOMETHING  but  something 
WORTH  WHILE.  We  thought  over  the  question  all  that 
day.  Just  before  we  dismissed,  we  took  a  vote  and  de- 
cided to  learn  during  the  month,  one  folk  song  from  each 
of  ten  lands.  The  ten  lands  to  be  represented  were: 
America,  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  Italy,  France,  Spain, 
Germany,  Austria  and  Sweden. 

"One  child  was  elected  for  each  land  to  present  the 
song  to  be  learned.  They  all  went  to  work  in  earnest,  and 
so  did  I,  for  we  had  undertaken  a  task  which  I  knew  would 
not  prove  very  easy. 

"On  the  next  morning,  the  child  representing  America 
was  ready  to  report.  He  had  a  large  number  of  songs, 
with  the  history  of  each,  to  offer  for  our  consideration. 
His  story  of  each  was  so  interesting  that  we  had  some 
difficulty  in  making  our  selection  but  we  finally  voted  to 
take  'Swanee  River'  as  our  choice  for  America. 

"Every  second  day  a  new  nation  would  report  and  a  new 
song  would  be  selected.  We  devoted  enough  time  on  that 
day  to  hear  the  report,  select  the  song,  and  learn  it.  On 
the  intervening  days  we  practiced  on  the  songs  that  we  had 
learned.  We  opened  the  afternoon  sessions  by  singing. 
We  closed  each  day's  session  with  a  ten-minute  song 
exercise. 

"The  most  interesting  feature  of  this  work  to  me  has 
been  the  ease  with  which  the  children  have  learned  the 
words  to  these  songs.    Usually,  children  will  sing  songs 


THE     teachers'     CLUB  6$ 

for  years  and  never  get  the  correct  words.  But  I  noticed 
that  my  children  learned  the  words,  all  of  them,  during 
the  first  day  of  study.  I  am  quite  sure  that  the  reason  is 
found  in  the  circumstances  under  which  the  songs  have 
been  learned.  They  were  interested  in  what  they  were 
doing.  Some  setting  for  the  song  was  presented  before 
they  started  to  learn  it.  They  were  in  tune  for  it  before 
they  began  to  learn  it.  As  the  boys  say,  they  were  '  set ' 
to  learn  it. 

"It  is  needless  for  me  to  take  more  time  to  tell  you 
what  we  have  done  during  the  month.  It  may  be  of  more 
interest  to  you  for  me  to  outline  briefly  what  we  propose 
to  do  during  the  remainder  of  the  year.  We  have  not 
worked  it  out  in  detail  but  we  know  in  general  what  we 
would  like  to  do.  I  shall  present,  therefore,  our  big  aims 
for  the  year: 

"First:  We  are  going  to  sing  the  songs  that  we  already  enjoy. 

"Second:  We  know  many  songs  now  we  shall  not  forget.  We 
are  going  to  learn  to  enjoy  some  kinds  of  music  that  we  do  not  now 
enjoy.  This  means  that  we  shall  have  to  do  some  study.  We  shall 
have  to  find  out  what  the  different  kinds  of  music  are.  Through 
our  graphophone,  we  expect  to  familiarize  ourselves  with  some  of 
these  other  types  of  music. 

"Third:  We  are  going  to  use  one  of  the  ideas  that  Miss  Liberty 
has  just  voiced,  about  jNIorning  Exercises.  We  are  going  to  study 
geography.  When  we  do  so,  we  are  going  to  try  to  get  acquainted 
with  the  people  through  their  folk  songs.  We  think  it  would  be 
very  jolly  to  have  a  folk  song  sung  by  some  of  the  children  dressed 
in  native  costumes  on  the  day  that  we  study  about  the  country. 
Perhaps  we  could  extend  Miss  Liberty's  idea  and  have  the  study 
of  one  nation  extend  over  for  a  week  and  let  their  folk  songs  occupy 
a  day  or  two.  It  seems  to  me  that  there  is  great  possibility  in  this 
idea. 


66  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

Fourth:  As  a  means  to  getting  some  of  this  music,  we  are  going 
to  learn  something  about  the  technique  of  music — notes,  signature, 
time,  key,  etc.  If  we  study  these  technical  matters  as  agencies  to 
an  interesting  end  like  a  folk  song,  I  am  sure  they  will  not  prove 
an  impediment  to  us.  If  we  take  them  up  as  an  end  in  themselves, 
I  fear  they  would  prove  such,  especially  in  the  beginning  of  our 
musical  study. 

"Fifth:  We  are  going  to  take  advantage  of  every  opportunity  we 
have  to  present  the  product  of  our  work  to  the  public.  Motive  is 
the  biggest  factor  in  producing  good  music.  We  are  going  to  enjoy 
it  for  ourselves  and  for  its  own  sake  while  we  are  learning  it,  but 
we  are  going  to  have  it  in  the  back  of  our  heads  all  of  the  while 
that  we  may  later  present  it  to  others  also.  I  trust  that  we  may 
have  the  privilege  of  entertaining  the  teachers'  club  before  the 
year  closes  so  that  we  may  sing  for  you. 

"l  think,  probably,  you  would  enjoy  singing  some  of  those  songs 
at  present,  far  more  than  you  would  enjoy  hearing  me  talk  about 
them;  so,  with  your  permission,  we  shall  use  the  next  twenty 
minutes  singing  folk  songs." 

Everyone  enjoyed  those  songs  immensely.  The  teachers 
got  some  ideas  that  are  sure  to  be  effective  in  all  of  their 
schools  throughout  the  year  and  as  long  thereafter  as 
they  teach. 

Hilda,  it  is  now  half  past  midnight.  I  should  have  been 
asleep  long  ago,  and  would  have  been  had  it  not  been  for 
you  and  those  interesting  morning  exercises.  To-morrow 
morning  I  shall  probably  be  "at  outs"  with  all  the  world, 
but  now  I  am  so  much  in  love  with  it  all  that  I  regret  to 
sleep  for  even  a  minute  for  fear  something  might  happen 
and  I  would  miss  it.     I  am 

Your  night  owl, 

Martha 


THE     teachers'     CLUB  67 

HILDA'S   MEDITATIONS 

1.  Why  did  those  teachers  show  so  much  interest  in  getting  to 
that  little  teachers'  meeting  out  there  in  the  country?  Was  it  the 
dinner,  interest  in  the  subject  of  Reading,  their  individual  inter- 
est in  the  work  that  each  teacher  himself  was  to  do,  or  was  it 
merely  the  novelty  of  that  kind  of  meeting? 

2.  Those  teachers  seem  to  have  assigned  to  themselves  the 
study  and  attempted  solution  of  large,  important  school  problems. 
Is  this  a  better  plan  than  for  the  superintendent  to  assign  a  topic  to 
them  to  discuss?  They  all  talked  as  if  they  were  the  owners  of  the 
meeting.   Is  this  a  good  situation?   How  was  this  situation  secured? 

3.  The  five  principles  which  Miss  Liberty  states  on  which  to 
base  the  Morning  Exercises  seem  to  be  sound.  Why  would  they 
not  apply  just  as  well  for  the  work  of  the  entire  school  day?  Miss 
Liberty  seems  to  think  that  the  spirit  of  the  school  day  should  be 
just  a  continuation  of  the  spirit  of  the  morning  exercise.  Is  this 
too  radical?  What  would  be  the  advantages  of  such  a  scheme? 
The  disadvantages? 

4.  Mr.  Ransom  seems  to  have  learned  much  about  good  pic- 
tures within  the  span  of  one  month  even  though  he  did  beHttle 
himself  in  that  particular.  Could  any  intelligent  adult  do  this? 
Must  we  all  have  some  compelling  situation  such  as  he  had  to 
cause  us  to  grow  in  any  particular?  Was  he  correct  in  his  assertion 
that  a  photograph  of  a  beautiful  scene  is  as  beautiful  as  a  painting 
by  one  of  the  old  masters?  Does  appreciation  of  real  scenes  lessen 
the  appreciation  of  a  painting?  What  is  the  best  course  to  pursue 
to  develop  interest  in  and  appreciation  of  art? 

5.  Miss  Steinberg  seems  to  think  that  interest  in  music  is  the 
biggest  factor.  Is  that  true?  What  could  interest  in  music  produce 
in  a  small  country  school? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Picture  Study  in  Elementary  Schools — Wilson.     Books  I  and  II. 
How  to  Study  Music — Farnsworth. 


CHAPTER  VII 

MR.    MOORE    WRITES    ABOUT    HOW    TO    AVOID    DISCIPLINARY 
DIFFICULTIES   IN   THE    SCHOOL 

Sunday,  November  i6 
My  dear  Hilda: 

After  we  had  had  our  discussion  about  Reading,  at  our 
meeting  two  weeks  ago,  Mr.  Moore  said : 

"Teachers,  this  gives  me  an  inspiration.  I  wonder  if  it 
would  not  be  a  capital  idea  if  we  should  now  hst  the 
difficulties  for  all  the  school  subjects  that  confront  us." 

We  teachers  thought  it  would.  He  suggested,  therefore, 
that  each  of  us  send  to  him  during  the  next  week  a  list  of 
the  difficulties  which  we  had  in  the  operation  of  our  school. 

This  we  did. 

He  took  all  of  our  difficulties,  classified  them  and  then 
sent  copies  of  the  classified  list  to  each  of  us.  With  this 
list  he  sent  a  letter  devoted  to  one  phase  of  the  difficulties. 
The  letter  is  so  good  that  I  am  sending  it  to  you  for  your 
perusal.    It  runs  as  follows: 

Amberville,  November  12 
My  dear  Teachers: — 

I  wish  to  thank  you  for  being  so  prompt  about  sending  me  a 
list  of  your  difficulties.  I  received  a  letter  from  every  one  of  you 
and  the  last  letter  arrived  within  one  week  from  the  time  of  our 
meeting.  With  that  kind  of  promptness  and  cooperation  we  are 
certain  to  get  big  results  from  our  work  this  year. 

Your  catalogues  of  difficulties  have  been  very  interesting  and  iit- 
structive  to  me.    I  trust  they  will  be  equally  so  to  yourselves.    In 

68 


DISCIPLINARY     DIFFICULTIES    IN     THE     SCHOOL  69 

them  I  think  we  have  food  for  thought  for  the  entire  year  and  if  we 
succeed  in  overcoming  them  during  the  year,  we  shall  have  just 
cause  for  gratification  and  even  for  pride. 

I  have  listed  them  according  to  the  character  of  the  principal 
difficulty.  I  found  that  many  of  the  difficulties  were  common  to 
all.  Some  of  the  difficulties  were  more  common  to  the  new  teachers, 
and  certain  difficulties  seemed  to  be  more  common  to  the  more 
experienced  teachers.  This  seems  to  indicate  that  it  makes  no 
difference  how  young  or  how  old  we  are  in  the  service,  there  are  still 
"more  worlds  to  conquer." 

You  may  wish  to  put  this  list  away  some  place  where  you  can 
refer  to  it  from  time  to  time.  We  shall  try  to  give  our  attention  to 
all  of  them  at  some  time  during  the  year.  We  shall  not  attack 
them  all  at  once,  but  singly.  We  must  make  a  concentrated  assault 
upon  each  one  when  we  do  attack  it,  and  utterly  annihilate  it. 

I  am  happy  to  know  that  most  of  you  feel  that  we  have  made 
some  real  progress  toward  the  solution  of  our  reading  difficulties. 
I  trust  that  we  may  have  the  same  feeling  toward  the  other  sub- 
jects after  we  shall  have  had  a  group  conference  for  their  con- 
sideration. 

The  problems  of  discipline  seem  to  be  the  most  common  difficulty 
confronting  the  members  of  the  group.  For  that  reason  and  be- 
cause we  do  not  wish  to  devote  a  special  meeting  to  the  discus- 
sion of  disciplinary  difficulties,  I  am  taking  the  liberty  of  writing 
to  you  upon  this  subject.  As  a  starter  for  my  discussion  I  shall 
quote  a  few  of  the  questions  that  you  have  asked: 

1.  "Tardiness  and  absence  are  the  chief  difi&culties  that  I  have 
in  my  school.   What  can  I  do  to  prevent  these?" 

2.  "My  children  are  all  very  good  except  in  one  particular; 
they  will  whisper.   What  can  I  do  to  prevent  whispering?  " 

3.  "Tattling  is  the  greatest  nuisance  I  have  in  my  school. 
How  can  this  fault  be  corrected  in  my  children?" 

4.  "In  my  school  I  have  several  children  who  are  overbearing. 
They  impose  on  other  children  who  are  smaller.  What  can  I  do 
to  get  these  children  to  change  their  attitude?" 

5.  "In  my  school  there  are  several  large  boys  who  are  vulgar 
and  use  obscene  language.   They  are  disposed  to  write  on  the  build- 


70  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

ings,  especially  on  the  walls  of  the  toilet.  What  can  I  do  to  break 
up  this  awful  practice?  " 

The  above  quotations  present  the  most  common  difficulties 
of  a  disciphnary  character  in  your  schools.  I  suspect  that  they  are 
the  most  common  in  the  rural  schools  of  America.  They  can  be 
very  annoying  and  do  need  attention  but  I  do  not  feel  that  they 
constitute  very  large  or  insoluble  problems.  Their  nature  and 
cause  must  be  understood.  When  understood  we  are  then  in  a 
position  to  prevent  them.  A  ''pinch"  of  prevention  is  always 
worth  a  pound  of  correction. 

Let  us  first  get  in  mind  what  we  mean  by  good  order  and  a  well- 
disciplined  school. 

Do  we  mean  that  the  children  are  to  sit  perfectly  still  and  quiet 
in  their  seats  from  one  recess  period  to  another?  Do  we  mean 
that  they  are  to  be  lifeless  except  when  we  ask  them  to  be  other- 
wise? Could  we  conform  happily  to  the  standards  that  we  set  up 
for  our  children? 

Would  it  be  better  to  define  good  order  in  school  as  that  order 
in  which  every  child  is  busy  at  some  worthwhile  task  which  does 
not  interfere  with  the  privileges  and  efficiency  of  anyone  else? 
If  we  discussed  the  matter  with  the  children  on  this  basis,  don't 
you  think  we  might  eliminate  all  objectionable  whispering,  and 
other  little  thoughtless  and  mischievous  acts  which  interfere  and 
for  which  there  is  cause  for  correction? 

In  every  school  as  in  every  family  there  will  arise,  from  time 
to  time,  problems  which  require  special  attention.  Such  prob- 
lems will  need  to  be  dealt  with  in  frank  and  fearless  fashion. 
But  these  instances  should  be  the  exception  and  not  the  rule. 
Practically  all  the  disciplinary  tangles  which  worry  our  minds 
and  spoil  our  dispositions  may  be  avoided  if  only  we  will  ask 
ourselves  and  answer  for  ourselves  and  for  our  schools,  these 
questions: 

I.  What  are  the  physical  conditions  under  which  my  children 
must  work?  Is  the  school  building  in  which  I  teach  a  place  where 
children  can  be  physically  comfortable  and  happy?  Is  it  clean?  Is 
it  attractive?  Is  it  well  heated?  Is  it  properly  ventilated?  Is 
there  anything  in  the  physical  situation  of  the  school  which  would 


I 


DISCIPLINARY    DIFFICULTIES    IN    THE     SCHOOL  71 

distract  the  attention  of  the  children  or  make  them  uncomfortable 
or  inefficient?    If  so,  what  can  I  do  to  correct  it? 

2.  Are  all  the  children  physically  fit  to  work?  Do  they  have  good 
vision?  Is  their  hearing  acute?  Are  their  nasal  passages  free  from 
obstructions?  Are  their  teeth  sound,  their  throats  in  good  con- 
dition, their  digestion  satisfactory?  Are  they  mentally  normal? 
Are  they  dressed  comfortably?  Do  they  sleep  sufficiently  and  under 
hygienic  surroundings?  Are  they  properly  nourished?  If  not, 
what  can  I  do  to  remove  the  present  physical  handicaps? 

3.  What  is  the  social  and  hygienic  situation  in  the  homes  from 
which  these  children  come?  Have  I  taken  the  trouble  to  find  out 
what  the  situation  is  so  that  1  may  successfully  cooperate  with 
and  properly  understand  the  parents?  Am  I  able  to  supply  for  the 
children  at  school  what  the  home  lacks?  Are  the  luncheons  which 
the  children  bring  to  school  the  kind  of  luncheons  they  ought  to 
have?  If  the  homes  do  not  provide  what  is  needed  in  the  way  of 
moral  and  school  training,  personal  inspiration  and  physical  nur- 
ture, what  can  I  do  to  meet  the  need? 

4.  Do  I  understand  child  nature?  Have  I  made  sufficient  study 
of  children  in  order  that  I  may  sympathetically  understand  the 
changes  which  take  place  in  their  nature  and  conduct  from  year 
to  year?  Am  I  famihar  with  the  investigations  which  have  been 
made  which  show  how  much  children  differ  in  their  native  equip- 
ment? Could  I  determine  the  relative  degrees  of  intelligence 
which  my  children  possess?  Would  I  be  able  to  adjust  my  guidance 
of  the  children  more  wisely  if  I  knew  more  of  the  individual  dif- 
ferences, and  more  of  the  waxing  and  waning  of  their  original 
tendencies? 

5.  Am  I  a  success  as  a  teacher?  Are  my  manners  such  as  to 
have  a  refining  influence  on  my  children?  Do  I  have  any  manner- 
isms of  gesture  or  speech  which  detract  from  the  effectiveness  of 
my  work?  Is  my  information  broad  and  accurate?  Would  children 
wish  to  know  as  much  as  I  do,  or  do  I  give  them  the  impression  that 
I  am  simply  a  taskmaster  to  make  them  memorize  the  facts  found 
in  the  textbooks?  Do  I  have  a  contagious  enthusiasm?  Do  chil- 
dren enthusiastically  accept  as  their  own  purpose  the  suggestions 
which  I  propose,  or  do  they  accept  them  as  imposed  tasks  in  which 


72  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

they  take  no  pleasure?  Just  why  am  I  teaching?  Is  it  for  one 
hundred  dollars  per  month  or  do  I  really  believe  in  the  importance 
of  my  work  to  such  an  extent  that  I  would  continue  to  do  it  in 
preference  to  a  position  much  more  lucrative  but  of  a  different 
character? 

6.  What  do  I  conceive  to  be  the  work  of  the  teacher?  Is  it  to  drill 
the  children  upon  a  few  facts?  Is  it  to  "pour  into"  their  plastic 
minds  a  great  mass  of  information?  Is  it  to  arouse  in  them  in- 
dividual and  group  purposes,  aid  them  in  securing  the  necessary 
information,  guide  them  in  the  formation  of  the  needed  skills, 
and  inspire  them  to  persist  until  the  desired  goals  are  attained? 
What  is  the  big  work  of  the  teacher  of  children? 

The  above  questions  may  be  of  assistance  to  you  in  making 
a  survey  of  yourself  and  your  school.  We,  as  teachers,  need  to  be 
keenly  sensitive  to  the  influences,  physical  and  social,  which  make 
up  our  schools.  Thoughlfulness,  orderliness,  earnestness,  and  energy 
must  characterize  our  work  if  we  are  to  he  truly  successful. 

The  following  general  principles  may  be  of  assistance  to  the 
younger  teachers  of  the  group  to  help  them  to  avoid  the  troubles 
which  we  usually  call  "discipline": 

1.  Think  as  little  as  possible  and  talk  less  of  failure.  Think  of 
success.   Plan  for  success.   Talk  about  success. 

2.  Talk  little  to  your  school  about  discipline,  about  the  faults  of 
children,  about  the  mistakes  that  have  been  made.  Magnify, 
wisely,  the  strong  points  of  the  children.  Call  attention  to  individ- 
ual and  group  successes.  Individual  and  school  pride  are  far  better 
bases  on  which  to  build  success  than  individual  and  group  shame. 

3.  Keep  the  children  supplied  with  distant  goals.  As  soon  as 
one  big  goal  is  attained,  another  goal  must  be  set.  When  chil- 
dren catch  up  with  their  goals,  they  immediately  start  trouble  for 
all  those  around  them.  The  teacher's  surest  preventive  of  school 
troubles,  therefore,  is  a  bountiful  stock  of  worthy  educational  goals 
to  which  children  easily  and  enthusiastically  respond. 

4.  Inspire  every  child  in  school  to  feel  that  he  is  responsible  for 
the  success  of  the  school  in  some  particular.  Get  every  pupil 
assigned  or  elected  to  some  office  at  some  time  which  carries  with 
it  a  responsible  duty.    Help  the  children  realize  the  importance  of 


I 


DISCIPLINARY    DIFFICULTIES    IN    THE     SCHOOL  73 

that  responsibility.  Let  offices  rotate  in  such  a  way  that  honors 
are  kept  new  and  burdens  are  kept  light.  Through  such  officials 
the  school  property  may  be  protected;  the  school  grounds  may  be 
kept  clean;  the  children  may  be  kept  happy  and  active  while  on 
the  play  grounds;  guests  of  the  school  may  be  properly  received 
and  welcomed;  the  flag  may  be  fittingly  displayed,  protected,  and 
reverenced;  the  duties  of  the  teacher  may  be  lessened;  and  citizen- 
ship of  school  and  community  improved. 

5.  A  teacher  who  is  physically  fit,  spiritually  earnest,  and  in- 
tellectually prepared  is  the  surest  of  all  agencies  for  good  order  in 
a  school.  Plenty  of  sound  sleep,  fresh  air,  cheerful  friends,  and 
wholesome  food  provide  the  fundamentals  of  health.  Original 
endowment  supplemented  by  an  intelligent  consciousness  of  the 
importance  of  teaching  are  necessary  for  the  spiritual  outlook  and  a 
few  hours,  daily,  of  uninterrupted  study  are  required  to  keep  the 
teacher  intellectually  prepared  for  her  work. 

6.  Launch  your  school  well  each  day.  Let  the  first  fifteen  min- 
utes be  so  interesting  that  no  child  will  be  willing  to  miss  it.  This 
will  put  them  all  in  a  pleasant  mood  for  the  day's  work.  Close  the 
day  with  a  harmonizing  and  unifying  program,  brief  but  efi'ective. 

-  7.  "Take  stock"  often  to  find  out  how  you  stand.  The  grocer 
keeps  his  notebook  into  which  he  puts  down  the  names  of  the  things 
for  which  his  customers  call  but  which  he  does  not  have.  He  also 
watches  his  shelves  to  see  what  he  has  that  the  customers  do  not 
want.  The  teacher  must  use  similar  methods  if  she  is  to  hold 
"her  customers." 

8,  Enthusaistic  play,  intelligently  and  cooperatively  performed, 
is  the  best  lubricant  the  school  machinery  ever  had  applied  to 
it.  It  is  physically  good  for  teacher  and  children,  pedagogically 
sane  and  socially   constructive. 

If  these  suggestions  serve  as  a  nucleus  around  which  you  may 
organize  your  own  thoughts  and  plans  for  making  your  school  a 
happy  working  organization,  I  shall  be  happy.  Please  feel  perfectly 
free  to  talk  with  me  or  write  to  me  concerning  any  particular 
disciplinary  problems  that  you  may  have  during  the  year.    I  am, 

Yours  very  truly, 

William  Hoppes  Moore 


74      SUCCESSFUL  TEACHING  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS 

After  reading  Mr.  Moore's  letter,  I  really  felt  embar- 
rassed that  we  teachers  should  have  looked  upon  those 
little  matters,  which  we  mentioned,  as  our  "disciplinary 
problems."  Tardiness,  whispering,  tattling,  bullying, 
and  vulgarity  are  really  superficial  evidences.  They  are 
not  fundamental  things.  I  can  now  see  that.  The  funda- 
mental thing  is  a  teacher  with  brains,  purpose,  imagination, 
tact,  and  energy. 

This  raises  the  fundamental  educational  and  social 
question  now  before  America.  The  problem  is:  How  are 
we  going  to  get  these  aforesaid  teachers  with  brains,  pur- 
pose, imagination,  tact,  and  energy?  We  can  not  import 
them.  We  can  not  buy  them.  We  must,  therefore,  create 
them.   But  how? 

First  of  all,  we  must  get  people  who  have  brains  to 
enter  the  teaching  business,  profession,  or  calling.  The 
importance  of  the  work  must  be  dramatically  presented  to 
the  youth  of  the  nation.  The  far-reaching  results  of  the 
teacher  must  be  shown  to  those  who  are  willing  to  leave 
their  record  in  the  form  of  human  character.  The  difficul- 
ties of  the  work,  the  endless  investigation  which  it  requires, 
must  be  so  described  that  the  size  of  the  job  will  appeal 
to  persons  of  herculean  physical  power  and  gigantic 
strength  of  purpose. 

After  having  discovered  these  persons,  we  must  train 
them.  I  firmly  believe  that  teachers  are  partly  born  but  I 
just  as  firmly  believe  that  they  are  also  created,  made  by 
training.  Prize-fighters  are  born  but  they  also  do  a  great 
deal  of  training  before  they  enter  a  ring  against  a  com- 
petitor. If  this  is  true  in  a  game  in  which  physical  strength 
is  so  large  a  part  of  the  game,  does  it  seem  less  true  in  a 


DISCIPLINARY     DIFFICULTIES     IN     THE     SCHOOL  75 

game  in  which  intellect  and  social  manner  are  the  qualities 
that  are  to  operate? 

Not  only  must  the  teachers  be  trained  before  entering 
upon  their  task,  but  they  must  continue  to  be  trained 
while  at  it.  To  push  the  figure  of  the  prize-fighter  a  little 
further,  have  you  ever  noticed,  Hilda,  how  the  champion 
loses  his  belt?  As  soon  as  he  gets  it,  he  retires  from  the 
ring  and  goes  into  vaudeville.  He  does  shadow  fighting 
for  a  year  or  two.  Finally  some  one  challenges  him.  He 
accepts  but  is  knocked  out  early  in  the  fight.  That  is  too 
often  true  of  us  teachers,  I  fear.  We  attend  school  a  little 
while,  get  some  knowledge,  some  practice,  and  with  our 
hope  and  confidence  we  go  out  into  the  battle.  We  win 
for  a  while  and  then  we  begin  shadow  fighting.  We  do 
not  keep  up  our  training.  We  must  keep  on  training  if  we 
are  going  to  continue  to  win.  This  letter  from  ]\Ir.  Moore 
and  the  two  meetings  that  our  teachers'  club  has  had 
show  me  what  training  after  school  and  on  the  job 
means. 

After  reading  this  letter  I  am  persuaded  that  what  we 
need  is  not  more  teachers  announcing  ''thou  shalt  nots" 
to  children,  but  more  teachers  finding  worthy  things  for 
children  to  do  in  which  they  are  interested,  and  then  as- 
sisting them  to  do  those  things  well;  not  more  little  tyrants 
to  suppress  people  and  force  them  to  be  quiet,  but  more 
leaders  with  vision  to  discover  v/ork  and  play  for  every- 
body, and  put  them  at  it. 

Yes,  I  am  converted.  It  is  not  discipline  we  want  but 
inspiration,  guidance,  and  action  that  we  need.  We  have 
been  looking  in  the  wrong  direction  and  for  the  wrong 
thing.     We  must  look  toward  the  sunrise  and  for  the 


76  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

things  that  are  good.   If  we  will,  the  day  need  never  grow 
old.   I  am, 

A  disciplined, 

Martha 


HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

1.  Those  teachers  state  that  tardiness,  whispering,  tattling, 
bullying,  and  vulgarity  are  their  most  common  causes  for  discip- 
linary action.  I  wonder  if  that  is  true  in  my  school?  Are  those 
the  causes  which  give  most  rural  teachers  trouble?  What  other 
causes  are  more  troublesome?  Taken  separately,  how  do  I  try 
to  correct  them? 

2.  If  I  understand  Mr.  Moore  correctly,  he  says  that  the  chief 
causes  for  the  troubles  which  require  disciplinary  action  are  (i) 
the  physical  conditions  of  the  school  buildings  and  grounds,  (2) 
the  physical  condition  of  the  children,  (3)  unhygienic  and  unfit 
social  conditions  in  the  child's  home,  (4)  lack  of  understanding 
of  the  individual  differences  of  children  on  the  part  of  the  teacher 
and  inability  or  lack  of  effort  to  adapt  the  school  conditions  accord- 
ingly, (5)  a  teacher  who  does  not  measure  up  to  the  need  in  scholar- 
ship, tact,  inspiration,  vision  and  energy,  (6)  a  failure  on  the  part 
of  the  teacher  to  grasp  the  real  purpose  of  the  teacher.  According 
to  this,  if  the  teacher  has  disciplinary  difficulties  it  is  her  fault.  Is 
this  true? 

3.  Mr.  Moore's  rules  for  success,  stated  briefly,  are:  (i)  Think 
and  talk  success,  (2)  Believe  in  the  children  and  recognize  the 
good  things  they  do,  (3)  Keep  the  children  supplied  with  distant 
goals,  (4)  Give  every  child  an  important  position  to  fill,  (5)  A 
teacher  who  is  physically,  spiritually,  and  intellectually  fit  is  the 
surest  guarantee  of  a  successful  school,  (6)  Launch  well  and  anchor 
securely  each  school  day,  (7)  "Take  stock"  often  to  see  what  "the 
customers"  demand,  (8)  Play  enthusiastically,  intelligently,  co- 
operatively. Do  I  agree  that  these  are  the  things  which  prevent 
those  troubles  which  require  "discipline"? 


DISCIPLINARY    DIFFICULTIES    IN    THE     SCHOOL  77 

4.  Martha  thinks,  therefore,  that  all  that  is  needed  is  strong 
teachers.  Is  she  right?  If  our  teachers  were  strong  would  our 
problems  of  disciphne  disappear? 

5.  Martha  believes  that  there  are  three  phases  to  the  problem 
of  securing  teachers:  (i)  Get  strong  people  to  enter  the  business, 
(2)  Train  them  for  the  work,  (3)  Keep  them  trained  by  means  of 
expert  leadership  while  they  work.  Are  all  three  of  these  necessary? 
If  we  could  get  strong  people  to  enter,  would  we  need  to  train 
them?  If  they  were  once  trained,  would  we  need  to  continue  the 
training?    Could  they  not  keep  up  their  own  training? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Rural  School  Management — Wilkinson.    Chapters  XI,  XII,  XVIII. 
The  Teacher,  the  School,  and  the  Community — McFee.    Chapters 

I,  II,  III. 
Our  Public  Schools— Corson.    Chapters  XI,  XII,  XIII,  XIV,  XV. 


Successful  T.— 6 


CHAPTER   VIII 

LANGUAGE   HOLDS   THE    CENTER    OF   THE    STAGE 

November  22 
Dear  Hilda: 

It  was  a  hard  but  an  interesting  trip  that  we  had  to-day. 
Our  meeting  was  held  over  at  the  Highlands  School  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Demonstration  Zone.  The  roads 
were  dreadful  and  the  weather  was  cold  but  we  got  there 
nevertheless.    Since  we  live  on  one  side  of  the  district,  we 


THE  TEACHERS  MEETING  AT  THE  HIGHLANDS  SCHOOL 


went  by  such  a  route  that  we  could  carry  some  of  the 
other  teachers  who  had  no  way  to  get  there.  In  this  way, 
it  is  easy  for  all  of  the  teachers  to  get  to  the  meetings. 
Mr.  Moore  brought  some  of  the  teachers  who  teach  at 
schools  between  Highland  and  Amberville,  and  Miss 
Black  brought  the  rest  of  the  teachers  who  live  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  zone. 

78 


LANGUAGE  HOLDS  THE  CENTER  OF  THE  STAGE    79 

Language  was  the  big  subject  last  month,  as  I  wrote 
you  it  would  be.  You  see,  we  have  some  one  subject  each 
month  that  is  our  major  interest.  While  we  do  all  of  our 
work  all  of  the  time,  as  well  as  we  can,  we  single  out  one 
particular  subject  to  study  about,  to  experiment  with,  and 
give  special  thought  to  for  the  month.  My  children  en- 
joyed the  month  that  we  devoted  to  Reading,  but  they 
have  been  literally  wild  with  enthusiasm  this  month  over 
the  work  in  Language.  We  have  been  playing  some  lan- 
guage games.  The  children  have  become  so  much  in- 
terested in  them  that  they  often  ask  to  play  them  at 
recesses  instead  of  playing  the  out-of-door  games  or  other 
in-school  games  which  have  no  educational  point  in  them. 

During  the  month  we  have  done  five  different  kinds  of 
work  as  means  by  which  to  improve  the  work  of  language. 

First:  A  language  survey: 

On  the  first  Monday  of  the  month  I  suggested  to  the 
children  that  this  was  language  month  for  the  entire  zone 
and  I  wondered  what  we  should  do  in  order  to  improve 
ourselves  in  that  subject.  We  had  numerous  and  varied 
suggestions  but  decided  by  vote  that  the  first  thing  to  be 
done  was  to  discover  our  most  glaring  faults.  The  next 
task  was  to  decide  what  is  correct  speech  and  what  is  in- 
correct. I  was  elected  by  the  school  as  umpire  to  decide 
what  expressions  are  correct  and  what  are  incorrect. 
Then,  two  days  were  taken  to  locate  our  troubles.  Prac- 
tically every  hour  some  child  would  say: — "IMiss  Martha, 
is  this  correct?"— or  ''Is  that  right?" 

At  the  end  of  two  days  we  had  our  most  common  errors 
"spotted."  We  then  decided  that  we  would  take  three 
days  in  which  to  catch  people  using  those  expressions.    It 


8o  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

was  not  long  before  the  name  of  everyone  in  the  school  was 
placed  in  the  "Caught  List."  Even  the  teacher  was  found 
guilty  of  an  offense  or  two,  very  much  to  the  delight  of  the 
children. 

Second — Language  games: 

Having  discovered  our  errors,  the  next  job  before  us  was 
to  banish  the  "enemy  expressions,"  from  our  school.  At 
this  point,  I  suggested  that  I  had  in  the  library,  some  books 
given  to  me  by  Mr.  Moore,  which  contained  some  very 
interesting  games  that  had  for  their  purpose  the  banish- 
ment of  our  "enemy  expressions."  I  suggested  that  when- 
ever anyone  in  the  room  had  one  of  those  games  well 
enough  in  hand  to  serve  as  a  leader,  be  might  teach  it  to  us. 
Then  ensued  a  feverish  period  of  learning  language  games. 
I  taught  but  very  few  of  the  games  but  I  played  in  prac- 
tically every  one  of  them.  The  following  little  exercise, 
illustrating  the  use  of  "It  isn't,"  is  a  sample  of  the  games 
used: 

Mamie  Serves  as  a  Leader — 

Leader:    "I've  thought  of  a  word  that  rimes  with  door." 

Roy:    "Is  it  part  of  an  apple?" 

Leader:    "No,  it  isn't  'core'." 

Maud:   "  Is  it  what  I  did  to  my  dress?  " 

Leader:    "No,  it  isn't 'tore'." 

Helen:    "Is  it  what  lions  do?" 

Leader:    "Yes,  it  is  'roar'." 

Then  Helen,  the  successful  one,  becomes  the  leader  and  the  game 
proceeds,  with  another  word  to  be  discovered. 

Third — Oral  Composition: 

We  talk  so  much  that  it  seems  we  should  not  need  to 
practice   oral   composition.     We   do,   nevertheless.     Our 


LANGUAGE     HOLDS    THE     CENTER    OF    THE     STAGE  61 

ordinary  conversation  is  likely  to  be  careless  and  lacking  in 
good  form  unless  we  have  set  ourselves  the  task  of  living 
up  to  certain  definite  standards.  This  fact  was  very  much 
impressed  upon  one  of  my  second-grade  children  last  week. 
After  we  had  been  on  a  hunt  for  a  while  for  our  "enemy 
expressions"  that  were  destroying  our  correct  speech, 
Helen  came  and  said: — "Miss  Martha,  it  seems  as  if 
everything  we  say  is  wrong."  Helen  was  almost  right 
about  it.  We  have  so  long  thought  it  is  only  when  we 
write  that  we  need  to  have  any  standards. 

During  this  month  we  have  been  consciously  trying  to 
speak  well — both  in  ordinary  conversation  and  while  doing 
class  work.  The  school  decided  to  establish  a  standard 
for  the  work  in  oral  composition.  After  much  discussion 
and  weighing  of  points,  the  following  was  posted  on  the 
bulletin  board — 

Standards  for  Oral  Compositions 

Third  Grade:   Three  correct  sentences. 
Fourth  Grade:   Four  correct  sentences. 
Fifth  Grade:    Five  correct  sentences. 
Sixth  Grade:    Six  correct  sentences. 
Seventh  Grade:    Seven  correct  sentences. 
Eighth  Grade:   Eight  correct  sentences. 

The  pupil  must  stand  erect,  must  speak  so  he  can  be  heard, 
must  look  his  audience  in  the  face  while  speaking. 

Much  liberty  was  allowed  in  the  selection  of  subjects. 
A  child  could  speak  upon  anything  he  liked.  As  a  matter 
of  actual  fact  I  have  noticed  that  they  usually  spoke  on 
subjects  that  were  very  much  alike.  One  child  would  be  a 
httle  more  original  than  the  others  and  think  of  an  interest- 
ing subject.    Immediately  that  became  a  very  popular 


82  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

subject.  All  would  want  to  talk  upon  it.  To  illustrate, 
shortly  after  we  began  this  type  of  work,  one  of  the  chil- 
dren saw  one  of  our  jack-o'lanterns  that  had  remained  as 
a  relic  of  Halloween.  He  decided  to  talk  about  it.  Soon 
all  were  composing  on  the  same  suggestive  theme.  I 
quote  below  what  two  of  the  boys  said: 

Henry  Simon,  third-grade  pupil  said: 
"I  have  a  jack-o 'lantern. 

It  is  yellow. 

It  is  large." 
John  Schumann,  sixth-grader,  said: 

"I  have  a  very  beautiful  jack-o'lantern. 

It  was  made  from  a  pumpkin. 

The  pumpkin  was  large  and  yellow. 

The  jack-o'lantern  is  smiling  a  ghostly  smile. 

He  looks  as  if  he  is  planning  some  mischief. 

I  think  he  must  be  planning  to  elope  with  the  witch." 

We  have  only  started  in  this  work  and  yet  I  can  see  a 
very  definite  improvement.  The  children  are  becoming 
conscious  of  the  completeness  or  incompleteness  of  a 
sentence.  They  are  beginning  to  notice  the  "and"  sen- 
tences and  to  recognize  the  fact  that  some  of  the  children 
use  them  more  than  do  others.  We  hope  to  pass  the  stage 
very  soon  when  these  short,  stubby,  mechanical  sentences 
will  be  satisfactory  to  the  children  as  standards  for  their 
oral  composition.  Already  those  children  who  compose 
well,  orally,  are  becoming  the  models  for  the  school  and 
they  are  beginning  to  take  a  pride  (I  hope  it  will  not 
become  objectionable)   in  their  speech. 

Fourth — Written  Composition: 

We  have  not  pressed  the  written  composition  work.  We 
have  had  so  much  that  was  interesting,  which  we  felt  was 


LANGUAGE  HOLDS  THE  CENTER  OF  THE  STAGE    83 

more  important  just  at  present,  that  we  have  put  our 
written  composition  in  the  background  for  the  month. 
We  have,  though,  taken  time  enough  to  write  two  letters. 
The  entire  school  wrote  and  then  voted  as  to  which  letters 
should  be  sent.  We  try  to  have  a  real  purpose  for  writing 
when  we  write. 

Before  the  teachers'  club  met  at  our  school  on  November 
ist,  we  had  written  to  all  of  the  teachers  inviting  them  to 
be  present  on  that  occasion  as  our  guests.  After  the  teach- 
ers were  here,  they  had  written  thanking  us  for  the  pleasant 
time  they  had  that  day.  While  no  reply  was  really  neces- 
sary, I  felt  that  it  was  a  good  opportunity  to  do  some  real 
work  in  written  composition.  Each  child  decided  to 
write  acknowledging  the  letter  of  the  teacher  whom  he  had 
invited  and  expressing  gratification  because  of  the  pleasure 
that  the  teacher  had  enjoyed.  The  letters  were  worked 
over  with  much  care.  The  children  had  met  at  the  meeting 
the  particular  teachers  to  whom  they  were  writing.  They 
felt,  therefore,  that  they  knew  to  whom  they  were  writing. 
Some  of  the  letters  were  copied  a  number  of  times,  and 
I  am  glad  to  say,  never  as  a  result  of  my  command.  In 
their  efforts  on  this  one  letter  they  learned  much  about 
form,  sentence  structure,  and  social  usage.  While  pen- 
manship was  not  neglected,  it  was  of  minor  importance. 

The  other  letters  were  delivered  only  yesterday.  They 
relate  to  a  little  Thanksgiving  program  that  we  shall  have 
at  our  school  next  Wednesday  afternoon.  We  are  very 
anxious  to  have  all  of  the  people  of  the  community  present. 
There  are  several  famiUes  in  the  community  who  do  not 
have  children  in  the  school.  The  larger  children  wrote  to 
them.    The  small  children  wrote  to  their  own  parents. 


84  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

There  was  much  joy  in  the  preparation  of  the  letters. 
Some  Thanksgiving  designs  were  put  on  the  letters  and 
on  the  envelopes.  Each  letter  was  sent  by  special  mes- 
senger other  than  the  writer  of  the  letter. 

It  is  my  behef ,  Hilda,  that  it  is  far  better  not  to  have  the 
children  write  often  but  when  they  do  write,  they  should 
have  a  real  purpose,  not  a  make-believe  one.  When  the 
situation  is  real,  the  child  will  attend  to  the  information 
and  instruction  that  is  given.  He  will  seek  it.  It  is  not 
forced  upon  him.  He  will  remember  it  when  he  uses  it  in 
this  way.  It  is  better,  I  believe,  to  do  something  in  which 
he  is  interested  and  for  which  he  is  mentally  and  spiritually 
prepared  than  it  is  to  require  him  to  write  simply  because 
the  course  of  study  says  write  "so  many"  compositions  or 
letters.  The  course  of  study  never  intended,  anyway,  that  a 
teacher  should  cease  to  use  her  own  common  sense.  ^ 

Fifth — Technical  Grammar: 

Mr.  Moore  thinks  that  technical  grammar,  as  such, 
should  not  be  taught  until  the  eighth  grade.  I  agree  with 
him.  Even  then  only  those  principles  that  are  most  im- 
portant should  be  emphasized.  The  others  can  wait  and 
should  be  deferred  until  high  school  when  other  languages, 
also,  are  taken  up  for  study. 

At  our  meeting  on  the  first  of  November,  Mr,  Moore 
showed  us  how  to  teach  a  definition  in  grammar  by  means 
of  an  inductive  lesson.  Well,  I'll  have  to  teach  you  what  a 
pronoun  is  to  show  you  what  I  mean  by  an  inductive  lesson. 
This  is  the  way  it  goes : 

(Martha) — "Look  at  these  three  sentences,  Hilda. 
"  'John  is  wearing  John's  new  hat.' 


LANGUAGE  HOLDS  THE  CENTER  OF  THE  STAGE    85 

"  'Mary  is  putting  on  Mary's  cloak.' 
"  'The  tree  is  shedding  the  tree's  leaves.' 
(Martha) — "Hilda,  do  you  like  those  sentences?" 
(Hilda)  —  "No,  they  sound  awkward." 
(Martha) — "What  is  wrong  with  them?" 
(Hilda)    — "They  should  have   'his,'  'her,'  and  'its'  instead  of 

'John's,'  'Mary's'  and  'tree's.'  " 
(Martha) — "Very  well,  let's  rewrite  the  sentences  as  you  suggest. 
Here  they  are: — 
"  'John  is  wearing  his  new  hat.' 
"  *Mary  is  putting  on  her  cloak.' 
"  'The  tree  is  shedding  its  leaves.' 

(Martha) — "What  does  the  underlined  word  'his'  do  in  the  first 

sentence,  Hilda?" 
(Hilda)    —"It  takes  the  place  of  'John's.'  " 
(Martha)— "What  is  'John's?'" 
(HUda)    — "It  is  a  proper  noun." 
(Martha) — "What  does  the  underlined  word  'her'  in  the  second 

sentence  do?  " 
(Hilda)    — "It  takes  the  place  of  the  word  'Mary's'  in  the  second 

sentence." 
(Martha) — "How  are  these  two  underlined  words  in  these  two 

sentences  alike?" 
(Hilda)    — "They  both  take  the  place  of  nouns." 
(Martha) — "Very  good.    Now  let  us  see  what  the  underlined  word 

'its'  in  the  third  sentence  does?" 
(Hilda)    — "It  takes  the. place  of  the  word  'tree's'  in  the  third 

sentence." 
(Martha) — "Yes,  now  can  you  tell  me  in  what  particular  all  of 

these  underlined  words  are  alike?" 
(Hilda)    — "They  all  take  the  place  of  nouns." 
(Martha) — "Yes,  that  is  correct.   Let  us  write  that  up  here  on  the 

board.    'AH  of  these  underlined  words  are  words  that 

stand  instead  of  nouns.* 
"Do  you  like  that  as  a  definition  of  those  words, 

Hilda?" 


86  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

(Hilda)    — "No,  I  do  not.   It  is  too  awkward." 

(Martha) — "Well,  I  know  a  name  that  you  can  substitute  in  the 
place  of  'AH  of  these  underlined  words.'  Should 
you  like  to  know  it?  " 

(Hilda)    —"Yes,  what  is  it?" 

(Martha) — "A  Pronoun.  Let  us  rewrite  our  definition.  'A  pro- 
noun is  a  word  that  stands  instead  of  a  noun.' 
Turn  to  your  book,  now,  page  127,  and  see  if  that 
agrees  with  what  is  printed  there." 

The  above  is  an  inductive  movement,  Hilda.  Any  of  the 
definitions  of  grammar  may  be  developed  in  the  same  way. 
You  may  wonder  why  we  take  so  much  time  to  develop 
the  definition  when  it  is  printed  in  the  book.  The  child 
could  turn  to  it  and  read  it  in  much  less  time  than  one 
can  teach  it  to  him.  The  difference  between  the  two  ways, 
Hilda,  is  this:  If  he  learns  it  according  to  the  plan  that 
I  have  used,  he  will  be  more  likely  to  understand  and  to 
remember  it.  But  if  he  gets  it  the  other  way,  it  is 
merely  a  memory  process  and  is  less  likely  to  be  understood 
or  remembered.  To  develop  this  particular  definition,  I 
should  have  used  more  sentences  and  have  had  pronouns 
in  the  nominative  and  objective  cases  just  as  I  did  in  the 
possessive  case.    Space  and  patience  forbade. 

The  inductive  part  of  the  lesson,  though,  is  but  one 
part  of  it.  There  is  a  deductive  part.  Let  us  take  up  that 
part  of  it  and  finish  the  movement. 

(Martha) — "Look  on  page  128,  Hilda,  and  let's  see  if  you  can 
locate  the  pronouns.  Will  you  read  the  first  sen- 
tence?" 

(Hilda)    — "'The  bird  is  feeding  its  young.'    'Its'  is  a  pronoun." 

(Martha) — "How  do  you  know?" 

(Hilda)    — "A  pronoun  is  a  word  that  stands  instead  of  a  noun. 


LANGUAGE  HOLDS  THE  CENTER  OF  THE  STAGE    87 

'Its'  stands  in  the  place  of  the  word  'bird's,'  which 
is  a  noun.  'Its'  is  therefore  a  pronoun." 
(Martha) — "You  did  that  so  well,  Hilda,  I  can  see  that  you  under- 
stand perfectly  the  meaning  of  a  pronoun.  For  to- 
morrow, I  wish  you  would  point  out  all  of  the  pro- 
nouns in  Exercise  43,  page  129." 

Now  that  I  understand  deduction,  drill  in  grammar  has 
become  much  simpler.  I  am  beginning  to  see  how  the 
inductive-deductive  movement  applies  to  other  subjects 
also — arithmetic,  geography,  and  history.  While  the  chil- 
dren in  my  school  have  been  most  interested  in  playing 
language  games,  the  mastery  of  doing  the  inductive  and 
the  deductive  types  of  lessons  has  been  my  game  for  the 
month.  I  wonder  if  it  is  possible  for  a  teacher  to  spend 
her  entire  professional  life  learning  as  I  have,  during  the 
past  two  months.  I  think  I  shall  soon  be  a  pedagogical 
wizard.  My  head  is  about  to  burst,  it  is  so  full  of  new 
information  and  germinating  ideas. 

But  I  started  out  to  tell  you  about  the  teachers'  meeting. 
It  was  nearly  eleven  o'clock  before  we  got  started  on  the 
program.  Our  car  was  the  last  to  arrive,  much  to  my 
chagrin.  We  had  a  full  program.  You  see  it  is  Mr.  Moore's 
notion  that  we  must  have  a  pedagogical  parade  each 
month,  of  all  of  the  good  work  that  he  has  discovered  on 
his  round  of  visits. 

To-day  Miss  Fish  demonstrated  language  games  and 
memory  gems;  Miss  Anderson  gave  an  exhibition  in 
technical  grammar;  a  number  of  other  teachers  told  how 
they  get  the  best  results  in  oral  and  written  composition. 
Naturally  some  of  the  teachers  are  more  successful  along 
one  line  of  language  work  and  others  more  successful 


88  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

along  another  line.  The  beauty  of  these  demonstrations 
and  observations  is  that  each  teacher  has  the  benefit  of 
the  best  that  the  other  teachers  can  do. 

The  language  games  by  Miss  Fish's  children  were  cer- 
tainly interesting.  Her  children  are  practically  all  foreign 
born  and  have  much  difficulty  in  speaking  the  Enghsh 
language.  She  has  a  great  variety  of  language  games. 
Her  children  enjoy  them  very  much.  She  says  that  one 
month  has  wrought  a  language  revolution  in  her  school 
and  that  the  children  now  do  for  fun  what  formerly  they 
did  as  a  laborious  task. 

The  technical  grammar  lesson  by  Miss  Anderson  was  a 
revelation.  Four  weeks  ago  Miss  Anderson  saw  for  the 
first  time,  probably,  an  inductive  lesson;  to-day  she  demon- 
strated it  as  if  she  were  an  expert  who  was  selling  it  to  the 
pubHc.  She  developed  the  definitions  of  transitive  and 
intransitive  verbs  and  did  it  so  effectively  that  the  chil- 
dren taught  probably  will  never  forget  the  distinction 
between  the  two.  I  tell  you,  Hilda,  the  more  I  see  of  this 
work,  the  more  firmly  I  am  convinced  that  all  that  the 
rural  teachers  and  the  rural  people  need  is  to  be  shown 
the  right  thing  and  encouraged  to  reproduce  it. 

The  story  of  the  boy  who  showed  an  ostrich  egg  to  his 
bantam  hen  and  told  her  to  look  at  that  and  do  her  best, 
has  universal  application.  What  we  need  are  ostrich  eggs 
for  every  line  of  human  endeavor,  and  big  enthusiastic 
boys  to  inspire  mankind  to  do  its  best.  We  do  not  need 
to  be  constantly  reminded  of  our  limitations.  We  do 
need  to  be  shown  what  our  possibilities  are  and  then  in- 
spired to  achieve  them.  After  having  seen  Miss  Anderson 
teach,  and  hearing  her  story  of  what  she  has  done  during 


LANGUAGE  HOLDS  THE  CENTER  OF  THE  STAGE    89 

the  month,  I  have  decided  that  what  the  world  most 
needs  is  discoverers — human-talent  discoverers.  There 
may  be  great  mines  of  valuable  ore  beneath  the  surface 
of  the  earth  that  await  discoveries.  There  may  be  great 
stores  of  unused  energy  locked  up  in  the  earth,  the  sea, 
and  the  air,  but  the  greatest  source  of  undiscovered  wealth 
and  unused  energy  in  the  world  is  not  in  earth  or  sea  or 
air  but  in  human  minds  and  souls.  Let  us  pray  for  bold 
discoverers,  mind-discoverers,  energy-awakeners,  soul- 
inspirers. 

The  most  useful  place  for  these  people  to  be,  in  order 
that  they  may  do  their  best  work,  is  in  the  schools  dealing 
with  plastic  humanity. 

The  world  has  been  so  thrilled  during  recent  years  over 
its  discoveries  and  use  of  coal,  oil,  gas,  electricity  and  other 
sources  of  energy  that  it  has  overlooked  the  greatest  of 
all  its  sources  of  wealth  and  energy.  It  has  been  paying 
big  money  for  big  brains  to  handle  big  industrial  enter- 
prises. It  is  now  time  for  the  world  to  discover  its  greatest 
potential  enterprise  and  to  put  its  boldest  spirits  and  keen- 
est intellects  to  work  on  the  job.  Hilda,  I  think  you  and  I 
are  engaged  in  the  biggest  work  in  the  world.  Are  we 
big  enough  to  see  the  possibihties  of  our  job?  I  am 
standing  to-night  on  tiptoe  to  see  the  expanding  horizon. 

Devotedly, 

Martha 

HILDA'S   MEDITATIONS 

I.  I  wonder  what  will  be  surveyed  next.  Here,  Martha  is  sur- 
veying the  language  mistakes  of  all  her  children.  What  are  the 
advantages  of  such  a  survey? 


9©  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

2.  Martha  seems  to  be  turning  her  school  into  a  perpetual 
party  in  which  the  children  do  nothing  but  play.  Is  the  con- 
sciousness of  all  work  to  be  driven  from  the  minds  of  the  children? 
What  advantage  has  a  language  game  over  just  the  usual  honest- 
to-goodness  drill  upon  a  language  fact? 

3.  I  believe,  upon  my  soul,  Martha  is  going  to  keep  on  with  this 
idea  of  conscious  action  and  purposeful  activity  until  she  will  take 
all  the  joy  out  of  life.  Now  she  is  saying  that  one  must  even  be 
conscious  of  certain  definite  standards  of  speech  while  conversing. 
What  are  the  standards  which  one  should  have  to  guide  his  oral 
composition?  Are  the  conditions  quite  different  from  those  which 
the  children  set  up  to  guide  them  in  their  oral  composition  work 
in  class? 

4.  Martha  says  nothing  about  the  length  that  a  letter  should  be 
in  her  discussion  of  written  composition.  Does  she  fear  that  she 
might  violate  her  own  rules?  Why  is  it  that  a  letter  is  a  better 
form  of  written  work  through  which  to  get  good  work  from  chil- 
dren than  an  essay  would  be? 

5.  An  "inductive-deductive  lesson"  in  grammar!  My!  That 
is  a  big  word.  Where  did  they  get  it?  Are  there  any  other  kinds 
of  lessons  with  such  pedagogical  names?  It  may  be  that  I  have 
been  doing  many  things  in  my  teaching  of  which  I  was  not  con- 
scious but  we  are  told  that  ignorance  of  the  law  excuses  no  man.  I 
presume  that  will  apply  to  the  women  also,  since  we  have  the  ballot. 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Measuring  the  Results  of  Teaching — Monroe.    Chapter  XI. 
Speaking  and  Writing  English — Sheridan.    Pages  8-14:  151-158. 
A  Brief  Course  in  the  Teaching  Process — Strayer. 
The  Science  and  the  Art  of  Teaching — LaRue.   Chapter  XXV. 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE   HISTORY   AND   CIVICS    COMMITTEE    MAKE    A   REPORT 

Sunday,  November  23 
My  dear  Hilda: 

I  closed  my  letter  last  night  in  such  a  flame  of  glory 
that  I  forgot  all  about  telling  you  what  the  Committee 
reported  on  the  subject  of  History  and  Civics.  I  was  stand- 
ing so  high  up  on  my  tiptoes  to  see  the  expanding  horizon 
that  I  could  not  see  the  things  which  were  nearest  to  me. 
That  is  the  way  with  us  dreamers,  I  suppose.  I  would 
rather  overlook,  though,  sometimes,  a  few  things  that  are 
very  near,  if  in  doing  so  I  can  see  some  very  much  bigger 
and  finer  things  farther  away. 

Misses  Wyman,  High,  and  Beulah  Walker  constituted 
the  committee.    Miss  High  spoke  first: 

"When  Miss  Liberty  spoke  at  the  last  meeting  of  the 
Club  on  'Morning  Exercises,'  I  began  to  think  that  the 
History  Committee  would  have  nothing  to  report,"  Miss 
High  began.  "But  I  do  not  care  when  the  historical  ma- 
terial is  taught  or  by  what  name  it  is  called.  The  thing 
that  I  do  want  to  be  sure  of  is  that  it  is  presented  at  some 
time  and  in  some  way  in  which  the  children  will  like  it. 
I  think  that  history  is  the  most  interesting  of  all  of  the 
school  subjects.  I  believe  any  normal  child  will  think  so, 
too,  if  he  is  given  an  opportunity. 

"As  you  all  know,  I  have  only  the  first  four  grades  in 
our  school.    Miss  Wyman  has  the  four  upper  grades. 

91 


92      SUCCESSFUL  TEACHING  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS 

"If  Miss  Wyman  had  not  appointed  me  on  this  com- 
mittee, that  would  have  been  the  end  of  our  diplomatic 
relations.  Of  course  I  would  have  been  game.  I  would 
have  done  my  duty  on  any  other  committee,  but  I  would 
have  been  conscious  every  minute  that  it  was  a  duty.  As 
it  is,  I  have  been  playing.  My  children  and  I  have  been 
having  the  time  of  our  lives. 

"The  autumn  is  a  glorious  time  to  teach  in  the  elemen- 
tary grades.  It  is  then  that  we  study  world  geography  in 
a  general,  sketchy  way.  It  is  then  that  we  celebrate  Colum- 
bus Day  and  that  provides  a  fine  beginning  point  for  our 
work.  Then  along  comes  Thanksgiving  with  all  its  autumn 
setting.  Christmas  presses  close  upon  it.  But  the  spring- 
time is  just  as  rich  in  its  suggestiveness  as  is  the  autumn 
since  I  come  to  think  of  it.  There  are  Lincoln's  and  Wash- 
ington's Birthdays  and  a  number  of  other  events  that 
make  excellent  leads  to  interesting  history  work. 

"  Possibly  the  best  way  that  I  can  suggest  what  to  do 
to  teach  history  in  the  lower  grades  is  to  tell  you  what  I 
have  done.  You  may  think  I  am  very  egotistical  but  I  can 
tell  what  I  have  done  much  better  than  I  can  tell  what 
some  book  says  to  do.  I  have  been  reading  the  books,  and 
I  know  what  they  say  about  it,  and  much  that  I  did  was 
based  upon  what  they  had  to  say.  But  I  believe  you  will 
get  more  out  of  it  if  I  tell  you  what  I  did  than  if  I  tell  you 
what  McMurry,  or  Kemp,  or  Finley- Johnson,  or  someone 
else  has  said  about  it. 

"I  enjoyed  the  talks  at  our  last  meeting  by  Mr.  Ransom 
and  Misses  Liberty  and  Steinberg  more  than  I  ever  en-    j 
joyed  any  speeches  that  I  have  heard  at  institutes.    I 
think  the  reason  was  that  they  told  what  they  had  done 


REPORT    OF    THE    HISTORY    AND    CIVICS     COMMITTEE      93 

rather  than  what  some  author  said  to  do.  It  is  all  right  to 
quote  the  author,  I  believe,  if  one's  position  is  ques- 
tioned and  he  needs  some  authority  back  of  him,  but  as 
for  me,  I  would  rather  any  time  have  a  speaker  say  'I 
did'  than  to  have  him  say,  'they  say.' 

"Well,  I  did, — I  mean  we  did.  We  decided  to  study 
during  the  autumn  months,  'American  Pioneers. '  After 
talking  at  some  length  about  what  a  pioneer  is,  we 
decided  that  he  is  one  that  goes  before  the  crowd,  that 
leads  the  way  and  shows  the  others  how.  That  is  the  way 
the  children  defined  the  word. 

"I  asked  the  children  to  bring  in  the  names  of  the  pioneers 
whom  they  wanted  to  study  about  during  the  autumn. 
Each  was  to  see  if  he  could  not  find  a  very  interesting 
pioneer  of  whom  no  one  else  would  think.  Two  days  were 
to  be  used  in  finding  the  best  pioneers  before  the  names 
were  to  be  presented  for  final  selection. 

"It  was  a  joy  to  see  them  hunt  through  the  little  his- 
torical readers  for  the  particular  names  that  they  wanted 
to  present,  to  note  their  perplexity  and  observe  their  dis- 
coveries. Each  one  guarded  his  information  with  that 
kind  of  anxiousness  that  always  gives  away  the  secret. 
It  was  a  secret,  nevertheless.  They  were  saying,  'You  can- 
not guess  what  great  pioneer  I  am  going  to  present.  He 
is  the  best  of  all.' 

"When  the  time  came  to  make  the  selections,  all  of 
the  names  were  placed  upon  the  board.  Each  child  had 
an  opportunity  to  give  a  sketch  of  the  character  that  he 
wanted  to  present  for  further  study.  Twenty  names  were 
presented.  I  told  them  that  we  should  not  have  time  to 
study  more  than  six  of  them  and  that  it  would  be  neces- 

Successful  T— 7 


94  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

sary  to  select.  The  following  were  chosen: — Columbus, 
John  Smith,  Miles  Standish,  Daniel  Boone,  Marquette, 
and  Lewis  and  Clark  (considered  as  one) . 

"In  general,  this  is  what  was  done  with  each  character. 
We  agreed  upon  some  large  questions  that  we  wanted  to 
ask  about  them.    The  following  are  typical: 

What  did  he  do  that  makes  him  worthy  of  our  study? 

How  did  he  happen  to  do  this? 

Who  helped  him  to  do  it? 

What  were  the  most  interesting  incidents  in  his  life? 

What  difficulties  did  he  have? 

How  does  what  he  did,  affect  us? 

''You  can  see  that  in  finding  answers  to  these  questions, 
we  had  an  opportunity  particularly  for  three  things;  (One) 
This  called  for  a  great  deal  of  reading.  Each  child  knew 
the  large  general  ideas  for  which  he  was  reading.  We  have 
an  excellent  library  in  our  school  and  its  service  has  been 
almost  one  hundred  percent  of  its  possibility,  in  so  far  as 
our  history  study  has  gone.  {Two)  But  the  reading  has  been 
only  a  preparation  for  the  delightful  group  conferences 
that  we  have  had.  Talk  about  joy — our  history  con- 
ferences are  the  very  acme  of  it.  There  is  but  one  sorrow 
about  them — every  child  is  grieved  that  he  cannot  tell  all  • 
of  the  story.  {Three)  But  both  the  reading  and  the  dis- 
cussion are  together  but  a  preparation  for  the  third  stage 
— dramatization. 

"If  you  had  been  with  us  on  October  12th  and  had  seen 
the  children  present  'Columbus,  the  Pioneer' — their 
own  production,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Commercial 
Club,  you  would  have  realized  that  children  in  the  lower 
grades  of  a  country  school  can  get  the  essential  facts  of 


REPORT    OF     THE    HISTORY     AND    CIVICS     COMMITTEE      95 

history  even  better  than  some  of  us  got  them  when  we 
were  in  high  school. 

"  There  are  six  children  in  our  fourth  grade.  When  the 
time  came  to  dramatize,  the  children  decided  that  they 
wanted  to  present  six  scenes  in  the  Hfe  of  Columbus.  They 
elected  a  captain  for  each  of  six  groups  from  these  six 
fourth-graders.  The  scenes  were  selected,  names  given 
and  the  lines  definitely  marked.  Then  the  battle  was  on. 
More  secrets;  more  secret  conferences;  more  excited 
whisperings  in  the  corners,  cloakrooms  and  halls. 

"The  scenes  were: — 

Columbus,  the  boy,  on  the  seashore. 
Columbus  presents  his  plan  to  Queen  Isabella. 
Columbus  says  'Sail  On.' 

Columbus  takes  America  in  the  name  of  Spain. 
Columbus  is  received  at  the  court  of  the  Queen. 
Columbus  dies  in  prison. 

"I  might  go  through,  in  the  same  way,  all  of  the  biog- 
raphies that  we  have  studied  but  that  is  unnecessary.  I  am 
sure  that  you  see  how  this  was  done. 

"We  did  not  take  up  these  biographies  in  just  the  order 
that  they  were  named.  The  fact  is  that  at  present  we  are 
working  on  the  hfe  of  Miles  Standish  for,  you  know,  next 
weeks  is  Thanksgiving.  We  found  some  time  between  to 
study  two  other  types  of  pioneers. 

"One  day  after  we  had  studied  two  of  our  pioneers  of 
the  exploring  type,  I  said  to  the  children:  'I  wonder  if 
there  are  not  some  other  kinds  of  pioneers  besides  these  who 
explore  the  country.  I  wonder  if  there  are  not  some  other 
things  to  explore  besides  new  lands.' 


g6  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

"There  was  silence,  for  a  minute,  and  then  Clarence 
Dunker  said — 'Miss  High,  wouldn't  a  fellow  be  a  pioneer 
who  thinks  of  something  before  anyone  else  does?' 

"I  asked  the  children  what  they  thought  of  it.  After 
some  consideration,  they  decided  that  he  would  be  for 
'  he  goes  before  the  crowd  and  shows  others  the  way ! ' 

"Immediately,  Alvin  Rehfield  shot  his  hand  up  and 
said:  'I  know  a  pioneer  of  that  kind.  Robert  Fulton  who 
invented  the  steamboat  was  a  pioneer.'  Soon  other  hands 
were  up,  but  I  stopped  further  conversation  by  telling 
them  that  on  the  next  day  we  would  let  each  present  a 
name  of  the  kind  of  pioneer  whom  he  thought  we  should 
study. 

"The  following  morning  eight  names  were  selected  in 
the  manner  indicated  before:  Fulton,  Stevenson,  Morse, 
Marconi,  Howe,  Arkwright,  Edison,  and  McCormick. 

"The  study  of  these  characters  does  not  lend  itself  so 
readily  to  dramatization  as  does  the  study  of  the  exploring 
pioneers.  There  is  not  the  same  opportunity  for  the  use  of 
color  in  costuming;  but  even  in  this  kind  of  study,  it  is 
astonishing  how  the  child's  imagination  does  work  and 
how  he  will  improvise  means  to  show  to  others  what  he 
thinks  the  situation  was.  The  study  of  this  type  of  pioneer 
is  no  less  rich  in  possibiUties  for  interesting  reading  and 
engaging  group  discussion  than  is  that  of  a  character  like 
Columbus. 

"But  to  me  the  most  interesting  study  of  pioneers  is 
the  third  sort  that  I  have  tried.  The  day  we  finished  the 
study  of  McCormick  and  the  mowing  machine,  Margaret 
Ristau  said: — 'Miss  High,  I  think  that  McCormick  is  the 
most  interesting  and  most  important  to  us  of  all  of  the  pio- 


REPORT     OF    THE    HISTORY    AND     CIVICS     COMMITTEE      97 

neers.  If  it  had  not  been  for  him,  we  could  not  grow  so  much 
wheat  here  in  our  state.   We  owe  our  greatness  to  him.' 

"That  statement  gave  me  a  thrill,  an  inspiration,  and 
a  rebuke.  I  was  delighted  that  a  third-grade  child  would 
see  the  connection  so  clearly.  I  had  an  inspiration  as  to 
what  I  might  do  next.  I  felt  rebuked  that  I  had  not  thought 
of  it  before. 

"I  must  confess  it  to  you,  that  I  have  always  had  a  sort 
of  a  notion  that  the  pioneers  were  all  dead.  A  pioneer 
settled  Massachusetts,  Virginia,  Kentucky,  or  California, 
He  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  place  where  I  live.  He  is 
some  sort  of  a  mythological  character  shut  up  in  a  book, 
and  he  lived  long,  long  ago  and  far,  far  away.  Here  this 
child  had  made  me  see  that  a  pioneer  had  really  affected 
me  here  in  my  own  state,  in  Gem  County,  in  Warren. 
He  had  something  to  do  with  the  salary  that  I  am  receiving 
and  the  food  that  I  am  eating  and  the  kind  of  house  in 
which  I  live. 

"For  once,  I  lost  my  speech.  I  was  stunned  by  a  thought. 
Did  we  not  have  pioneers,  heroes,  heroines  in  the  Middle 
West  once  upon  a  time?  What  about  those  people  who 
spent  the  first  winters  here  in  this  cold  climate  without 
houses,  on  these  bleak  plains?  The  situation  was  far  more 
trying  than  it  was  for  those  Puritans  who  spent  their  first 
winter  on  New  England's  'stern  and  rockbound  coast,'  or 
in  the  much  more  temperate  climate  of  Virginia  where 
John  Smith  and  his  hardy  pioneers  felled  the  trees  and 
built  a  state. 

"I  don't  know  how  long  I  sat  stunned  into  silence  with 
the  thought,  but  I  was  aroused  by  Everette  Cloos  saying: 
'What  is  the  matter,  Miss  High?' 


98  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

''I  replied  that  I  was  just  wondering  if  they  knew  any 
pioneers,  personally.  I  asked  them  if  they  knew  of  any 
persons  around  Warren,  or  in  Gem  County,  who  were  the 
first  to  do  certain  things  in  this  county  or  this  community. 
They  did  not  know  any  such.  This  was  a  good  place  to 
stop  for  that  day.  I  asked  them  to  find  out  the  names  of 
all  the  Gem  County  pioneers  that  they  could  by  the  next 
morning. 

"The  next  morning  they  came  to  school  brimful  of 
information  about  local  pioneers.  They  had  used  the 
telephones  during  the  evening.  They  had  talked  to  the 
oldest  settlers  in  the  neighborhood.  Some  had  gone  so  far 
as  to  'phone  up  to  Amberville  and  ask  the  local  newspapers 
what  they  knew.  They  had  found  that  a  man  named 
Clarence  Johnson  was  the  first  man  to  settle  in  Gem  County. 
James  Lindboe  was  the  first  child  born  in  the  county. 
Rev.  Uriah  Hopkins  was  the  first  preacher.  Dr.  John 
Amos  was  the  first  physician.  Brown  Brothers  owned  the 
first  automobile.  Mr.  Bair  owned  the  first  aeroplane. 
There  were  many  such  items  as  these  presented. 

''When  all  the  other  children  were  through  presenting 
the  names  of  their  pioneers,  then  Allen  Conlee  said: 
'Miss  High,  I  have  the  very  finest  of  all  of  the  pioneers  to 
present.  My  pioneer  is  the  one  who  is  most  akin  to  us  right 
here  in  this  room.  All  the  pioneers  whom  these  children 
have  talked  about  are  men,  just  as  if  a  woman  cannot  be 
a  pioneer.  My  pioneer  is  a  woman.  She  lives  right  here  in 
Warren.  We  see  her  every  day.  She  has  done  the  finest 
work  and  made  the  least  fuss  about  it  of  any  of  the  pioneers. 
I  am  talking  about  Mrs.  Mary  Sampson  who  was  the  first 
teacher  in  this  county.    I  think  we  should  study  about 


REPORT     OF     THE     HISTORY    AND     CIVICS     COMMITTEE      99 

Mrs.  Sampson  and  the  schools  of  Gem  County.  I  think 
we  could  get  up  a  play  on  that  subject  which  would  beat 
our  Columbus  play  all  to  pieces!" 

''Whenever  Allen  talks,  all  the  children  listen.  He 
does  not  speak  often.  He  seems  to  think  that  it  would  be 
wrong  for  him  to  tell  what  anyone  else  is  able  to  tell. 
They  greeted  his  speech  with  applause.  You  will  be 
interested  to  know  that  the  children  of  my  room  are  now 
writing  a  play  according  to  his  suggestion.  They  will 
present  it  the  week  before  Christmas  at  the  annual  special 
meeting  of  the  Parent-Teacher  Association. 

"It  is  being  kept  a  secret  from  Mrs.  Sampson.  She  wiD 
be  taken  there  to  see  the  role  that  she  has  played  in  local 
history,  depicted  by  this  group  of  budding  playwrights 
and  theatrical  stars. 

"I  must  not  talk  longer  about  what  we  have  done  You 
have  all  probably  done  much  more.  Let  me  see  if  I  can 
sum  up  for  you  what  we  have  done  by  stating  it  in  a  few 
general  principles  that  may  be  of  use  to  you.  In  teaching 
history  in  the  lower  grades — 

Make  use  of  the  material  that  is  rich  in  human  interest  and 
dramatic  possibilities. 

Create,  by  well-planned  questioning,  the  curiosity  and  in- 
terest of  the  children.  Develop  the  element  of  competition  at  the 
time  you  assign  the  problem  for  study.  Then  be  sure  that  you 
have  suitable,  interesting,  readable  material  in  abundance,  to 
supply  for  their  study. 

Make  your  recitation  a  pleasure  period  in  which  you  live 
over  with  your  children  in  the  most  realistic  way  possible  the  events 
of  the  story  or  incident  that  is  under  discussion.  Let  them  forget, 
if  you  can,  that  it  is  a  lesson. 


lOO  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

Stimulate  the  children's  imagination,  creative  powers,  and 
dramatic  gifts  by  letting  them  live  over,  in  acts  as  well  as  thoughts, 
deeds  of  the  character  you  are  studying. 

Make  use  of  the  local  historical  material.  This  has  a  civic 
value  superior,  probably,  to  all  of  the  other  material. 

Maps,  pictures,  old  materials,  and  costumes  are  of  prime 
importance  in  the  teaching  of  history. 

"Madam  President,  I  fear  that  I  have  sinned  against 
time  and  the  audience.  If  I  have,  though,  I  am  glad  that 
it  is  a  sin  of  commission  and  not  of  omission.   Thank  you." 

Miss  Walker  began  by  saying:  "Friends,  I  was  just 
thinking,  as  I  listened  to  Miss  High,  how  much  Hke  Httle 
children,  are  the  big  ones.  How  much  we  adults  are  Hke 
children,  also,  I  might  add. 

"Large  children  like  the  game  of  competition.  They 
like  to  face  difficulties— intellectual  difficulties.  I  believe 
that  when  children  do  not  enjoy  studying  it  is  because  they 
are  not  confronted  with  anything  which  they  think  of  as 
a  problem  to  be  mastered,  as  a  difficulty  to  be  overcome. 
Working  merely  to  get  the  facts  on  a  certain  number  of 
pages  or  to  make  a  good  recitation  is  not  sufficient  motive 
to  prompt  a  real,  red-blooded  child  to  do  his  best  thinking 
and  his  best  investigating. 

"In  our  schools  where  there  is  but  one  teacher  to  do  all 
of  the  work,  I  fear  that  the  children  in  the  lower  grades 
do  not  get  their  share  of  attention  when  it  comes  to  history. 
I  am  very  glad  to  have  heard  Miss  High  tell  how  she 
handles  the  subject.  I  believe  I  can  now  improve  upon 
my  past  accomphshments  in  the  lower  grades.  But  we 
have  been  able  to  use  the  lower  grades  a  great  deal  as 


REPORT    OF    THE    HISTORY    AND    CIVICS     COMMITTEE      lOI 

helpers  to  the  upper  grades  in  their  dramatic  presenta- 
tion'" of  historical  facts.  Since  the  lower  grades  in  a  one-room 
school  hear  all  that  the  upper  grades  do  in  history,  per- 
haps they  do  get  more  from  it  than  we  imagine. 

"In  a  one-room  school,  as  all  the  teachers  here  know, 
there  is  not  very  much  time  for  anything.  We  must  plan, 
therefore,  to  save  and  gain  all  of  the  time  we  can.  I  do 
this  by  having  but  one  history  class  for  both  my  seventh 
and  eighth  grades,  instead  of  having  a  class  for  each. 
Then  instead  of  studying  pages  in  our  books,  we  study 
certain  big  questions  that  the  book  answers.  Some  of 
those  questions  we  are  going  to  take  during  this  year. 
Others  we  shall  take  during  next  year. 

"I  must  tell  you,  though,  that  I  have  sweat  blood  this 
fall  in  arriving  at  my  decision  as  to  what  plan  of  work  I 
was  going  to  use  and  in  gaining  facility  in  the  application 
of  the  plan.  Heretofore  I  have  never  been  satisfied  with 
my  work  in  the  teaching  of  history.  I  have  assigned 
certain  pages  and  have  asked  questions  on  those  pages. 
For  me  and  for  the  children,  that  plan  was  a  tax  upon  the 
memory  and  did  not  demand,  to  a  very  great  extent, 
the  use  of  reason. 

"When  I  was  assigned  to  this  committee,  I  determined 
to  see  if  I  could  not  arrive  at  some  better  plan.  Everything 
that  I  read  upon  the  subject  emphasized  that  history 
should  be  taught  according  to  the  problem  method.  I 
determined  to  try  it.  I  could  understand  the  principle  on 
which  it  was  based  but  I  had  some  difficulty  in  applying  it. 
I  was  not  used  to  it.  The  children  were  not  accustomed 
to  it  either.  There  were  old  habits  to  overcome.  When  we 
first  started  I  did  not  know  how  to  pick  out  good  problems, 


I02  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

and  the  children  did  not  know  how  to  proceed  in  solving 
them.  I  was  frank  with  them  and  told  them  that  I  did 
not  like  the  old  plan  and  was  trying  a  new  one.  I  asked 
their  help  in  trying  out  the  new  plan.  It  was  not  long 
before  we  both  began  to  gain  confidence  and  strength. 
As  soon  as  we  began  to  realize  that  we  were  meeting  with 
success,  our  attitude  changed  from  one  of  painful  effort 
to  one  of  enjoyment  in  the  performance  of  a  task  in  which 
we  felt  our  strength.  During  the  recent  weeks  our  history 
work  has  been  a  great  pleasure  to  us.  We  are  now  in  the 
challenging  mood  and  are  willing  to  tackle  almost  any 
problem  that  comes  along.  Alexander-like,  we  are  looking 
for  more  worlds  to  conquer. 

''That  you  may  understand  me,  I  shall  give  a  few  of  the 
problems  which  we  have  tried  and  shall  try  to  solve: — 

One.  What  European  nations  made  discoveries  in  America? 
Where?    When?    By  whom?    Why? 

Two.    How  did  we  come  to  be  a  nation? 

Three.  How  did  we  come  to  have  the  form  of  government  that 
we  have? 

Four.    How,  when,  and  why  did  our  nation  grow  territorially? 

Five.    How  and  why  did  our  nation  grow  industrially? 

Six.  What  wars  have  we  had?  Why?  Who  were  the  leaders? 
What  were  the  results? 

"These  questions  will  show  you  how  we  organize  all  of 
our  historical  material  around  about  a  dozen  large  questions 
that  we  want  to  answer.  Of  course  there  will  be  scores  of 
smaller  ones  under  each  of  these  which  will  arise  nkturally 
in  the  course  of  investigation  and  discussion.  The  chil- 
dren themselves  will  ask  them.  All  that  the  teacher  has  to 
do  is  to  keep  one  eye  on  the  goal  and  the  other  on  the 
compass  so  that  she  can  see  where  the  class  is  going. 


REPORT    OF     THE    HISTORY    AND    CiVlCS    COMMITTEE      103 

"We  give  no  attention  to  pages  in  our  book.  Some- 
times we  bring  together  a  statement  on  page  one  and  a 
statement  on  page  five  hundred  to  prove  a  point  that  is 
under  discussion  which  may  have  arisen  from  page  two 
hundred.  What  we  want,  in  fact,  is  their  relation  to  the 
question  which  we  are  trying  to  solve.  I  do  not  hold  the 
children  responsible  for  the  facts  contained  within  certain 
pages.  I  do  not  tax  my  memory  with  trying  to  do  that 
either.  I  hold  myself  responsible  for  questions  that  will 
provoke  their  interest  and  guide  their  discussion  to  a 
definite  end.  All  that  we  do  together  is  to  hold  ourselves 
responsible  for  answering  to  our  unanimous  satisfaction 
the  question  which  has  been  raised.  Our  best  study  and 
discussion  comes  in  bringing  about  that  unanimity  of 
opinion.  So  long  as  there  is  one  unconvinced,  we  stay  by 
the  question  and  the  investigation. 

"Thirty  minutes  is  the  usual  length  of  the  class.  Some- 
times we  are  in  actual  discussion  only  five  minutes  of  that 
time.  If  we  come  upon  an  essential  item  that  no  one  knows, 
we  adjourn  and  go  into  a  research  session  until  that  fact  is 
found.  Some  days  we  spend  the  entire  time  in  investiga- 
tion. But  when  we  do  come  to  the  class,  as  the  boys  say: 
'We  make  the  fur  fly.'  I  prefer  to  say :  '  We  make  the  facts 
fly'  for  that  is  what  we  literally  do. 

"It  is  almost  unbeHevable  to  what  extent  a  youngster 
will  go  in  order  to  prove  his  point  when  he  believes  he  is 
right.  Instead  of  studying  one  text  this  year,  we  are  study- 
ing a  dozen  of  them.  Instead  of  reading  a  few  hundred 
pages  as  we  would  do,  if  we  stuck  to  the  text,  we  are 
reading  a  few  thousand  pages.  Old  histories  which  their 
older  brothers  and  sisters  studied  have  been  resurrected 


I04  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

from  the  attic.  Old  pictures,  stereoscopic  views,  news- 
paper and  magazine  articles,  old  pieces  of  antique  furni- 
ture, old  guns,  old  daguerreotype  likenesses  of  their  an- 
cestors tenderly  encased  in  the  ancient  family  album — 
all  of  these  things  and  scores  of  other  items  that  I  do  not 
now  recall,  have  been  brought  into  class  to  illustrate  a 
point  or  to  prove  their  contention  that  thus  and  so  was 
true  or  false. 

''Yes,  we  have  been  dramatizing  some,  though  not  very 
much.  Dramatization  does  not  appeal  to  older  children, 
perhaps,  quite  as  much  as  it  does  to  the  younger  ones,  un- 
less it  is  to  be  used  for  some  real  occasion.  But  my  chil- 
dren have  been  getting  great  fun  from  something  that 
takes  the  place  of  dramatization — it  is  a  form  of  dramatiza- 
tion. I  mean  pantomimes,  charades.  They  enjoy  the 
historical  charade  above  any  form  of  play  that  they  have 
had  this  session. 

"The  school  is  divided  into  two  teams  that  are  active 
rivals.  Myron  Sweet  is  the  captain  of  one  team  and 
Wilbur  Gange  is  the  captain  of  the  other.  They  and  their 
teams  are  always  on  the  qui  vive  for  good  material  for  a 
historical  charade.  I  am  getting  a  Hberal  education  watch- 
ing them  present  their  performances.  One  can  see  any- 
thing he  likes  from  Columbus  walking  on  the  Genoese 
seashore  to  Goethals  digging  the  Panama  canal  or  Clemen- 
ceau  presiding  at  the  Versailles  Peace  Conference. 

"Children  in  the  lower  grades,  I  take  it,  are  charmed 
by  the  somewhat  mythological,  superhuman  phases  of 
history.  In  the  upper  grades  they  want  the  real  thing — - 
real  people,  real  places,  real  facts.  They  still  like  heroics 
but  not  impossible  heroics.    They  have  passed  the  good 


REPORT     OF     THE     HISTORY    AND     CIVICS     COMMITTEE      I05 

fairy  stage  and  they  want  to  study  about  people  who  had 
real  difficulties  to  overcome.  They  do  not  expect  their 
characters  to  wave  a  wand  and  have  their  wish  come  true. 
They  expect  them  to  work  hard,  fight  hard,  sacrifice, 
bleed,  die,  perhaps,  to  make  their  hopes  into  realities. 
Anything  less  than  this  will  not  challenge  their  highest 
admiration. 

"If  now  I  can  disentangle  all  of  this  quinine  from  its 
sugar  coating  and  give  it  to  you  straight,  I  would  say : 

One.  Classify  your  historical  material  into  a  few  big  problems 
and  then  solve  those  problems. 

Two.  Do  little  talking  yourself.  Encourage  your  children  to 
present  their  facts  and  argue  their  case  as  a  lawyer  would  before 
the  court.   You  are  merely  the  judge  to  see  that  justice  is  done. 

Three.    Use  the  blackboard  to  summarize  the  facts  of  the  case. 

Foiir.  Encourage  the  children  to  supplement  their  text  with  ma- 
terial from  any  source  that  will  bear  upon  the  point  under  dis- 
cussion. This  will  enlist  the  interest  of  the  community  and  will 
make  a  fruitful  use  of  the  materials  of  the  child's  own  environment. 

Five.  Stimulate  the  children  to  get  their  play  out  of  historical 
material.  This  will  fix  facts  in  their  minds,  encourage  their  in- 
genuity, and  broaden  their  powers  of  literary  and  historical 
appreciation. 

Six.  Show  the  children  how  to  use  the  Index  and  the  Table  of 
Contents  as  a  quick  and  reliable  method  of  finding  a  needed  fact. 

"1  have  talked  so  long,  I,  unlike  Miss  High,  fear  you  will 
wish  that  my  sin  had  been  one  of  omission  rather  than  one 
of  commission." 

''There  is  but  little  left  for  me  to  say"— said  Miss 
Wyman,  who,  as  president,  was  presiding  at  the  afternoon 
session.  "  Civics  is  so  closely  related  to  history  that  about 
all  I  shall  have  to  do  is   to   say  'Amen'  to   what   Miss 


Io6  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

High  and  Miss  Walker  have  said.  Civics  is  the  study  of 
citizenship.  When  history  has  been  studied  as  we  have 
had  it  presented  to  us  this  afternoon,  it  is  impossible  that 
very  excellent  civics  shall  not  have  been  taught.  Whenever 
we  present  a  historical  fact  in  the  form  of  a  question  that 
must  be  solved;  whenever  we  ask  how  it  was  done,  by 
whom  it  was  done,  why  it  was  done,  we  are  then  getting 
situations  that  are  prototypes  of  the  situations  that  we 
have  rising  from  day  to  day  in  our  own  life. 

"When  we  ask  how  those  events  affect  us  now,  when  we 
inquire  into  the  causes,  the  motives,  and  the  results  of 
historical  events,  we  provoke  truly  normal  civic  reactions 
and  build  up  within  the  children  truly  normal  civic  ideals. 

"There  are  just  three  points  that  I  wish  here  to  em- 
phasize and  then  we  must  turn  to  the  other  phases  of  our 
program.   Those  three  points  are : 

"First.  In  order  to  teach  good  civics,  we  must  empha- 
size the  motives  and  purposes  of  an  organization  even 
more  than  we  do  the  form.  If  we  emphasize  the  form  only, 
the  child  will  forget  the  form  and  then  he  will  have  nothing 
left.  But  if  we  can  get  him  to  enter  fully  into  the  pur- 
poses for  which  certain  offices  are  created  or  certain 
principles  are  put  into  a  law  or  the  constitutiou,  he  may 
forget  the  facts  but  he  will  have  a  civic  ideal  that  will 
stay  with  him. 

£"The  second  point  that  I  wish  to  make  is  that  civics 
ould  be  taught  in  connection  with  real  situations. 
When  we  have  arrived  at  a  point  in  our  history  study  where 
some  governmental  machinery  is  created,  then  is  the  time 
to  study  it.  We  have  the  background  for  it.  We  can  see 
the  needs  for  it  and  the  motives  in  it.   We  need  to  study 


REPORT    OF    THE     HISTORY     AND    CIVICS     COMMITTEE      I07 

it  in  the  light  of  the  personalities  that  participate  in  it 
and  the  interests  that  they  represent. 

"A  third  point  that  I  want  especially  to  emphasize  is 
that  we  must  emphasize  more  the  local  phases  of  civics. 
I  fear  that  we  have  thought  too  much  of  civics  as  Miss 
High  said  she  had  always  thought  of  pioneers.  We  have 
thought  of  it  as  the  form  of  the  government  located  at 
Washington.  We  have  been  disposed  to  believe  that  we 
were  trained  in  civics  when  we  could  name  the  members 
of  the  Supreme  court,  the  President's  cabinet  and  the 
senators  and  representatives  from  our  own  state. 

"We  must  think  of  civics  as  a  study  of  the  government 
of  our  own  state,  county,  township,  school  district, 
village,  and  school.  We  must  give  our  discussion  about 
government  real  meaning  to  the  boys  and  girls  even  dovv-n 
to  the  very  youngest  child  in  our  school.  The  fact  is  we 
must  begin  our  study  of  civics  in  our  schools  and  finally 
get  to  Washington  and  to  the  United  States  Constitution, 
and  the  covenant  of  the  League  of  Nations.  Class  monitors, 
student  helpers.  Boy  and  Girl  Scout  Organizations,  the 
Parent-Teacher  Association  in  our  school,  the  school 
board,  the  tax  assessor,  the  tax  collector,  the  treasurer, 
all  of  these  offer  the  best  material  at  our  hands  for 
the  teaching  of  civics.  Let's  make  civics  something  that 
we  do,  as  Miss  High  said,  rather  than  something  'the 
book  says.' 

"Before  the  meeting  is  adjourned,  we  are  to  have  some 
humorous  readings  by  Mr.  Moore." 

Miss  Wyman  took  her  seat.  Mr.  Moore  responded  to 
his  name  with  a  favorite  Riley  selection  which  was  appre- 


Io8  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

eiated  by  the  audience.  The  pastor  of  the  church  was 
present  with  his  camera.  He  took  our  pictures  while  we 
were  all  in  laughing  mood,  after  which  we  started  home. 

Hoping  that  you  will  be  a  better  citizen  than  ever 
before  as  a  result  of  this  letter   I  am, 

Patriotically, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

1.  Miss  High  implies  that  there  is  not  much  necessity  for  fol- 
lowing a  logical  sequence  in  the  teaching  of  history  in  the  primary 
grades.   Is  this  true?   If  so,  why? 

2.  I  have  always  felt  that  an  understanding  of  ancient  European 
history  was  necessary  to  an  appreciation  of  American  history. 
These  teachers  do  not  seem  to  have  such  a  view.  Are  they  wrong 
or  am  I? 

3.  The  study  of  history,  when  done  after  this  fashion,  seems 
to  bear  quite  close  relation  to  silent  reading.  I  wonder  if  one  were 
smart  enough,  could  she  not  teach  reading  through  history,  or 
history  through  reading?  What  I  mean  to  say  is — "Is  there  a  very 
close  line  of  demarcation  between  the  various  subjects  in  our  school 
curriculum?"  Might  I  not  take  any  one  of  them  and  teach  prac- 
tically everything  else  if  I  only  knew  enough? 

4.  Miss  Walker  seems  to  think  that  the  chief  difference  between 
the  methods  to  be  applied  in  teaching  history  in  the  lower  and 
upper  grades  is  in  point  of  emphasis.  In  the  lower  grades,  personal- 
ities, biographies  of  a  very  heroic  sort  should  be  studied,  while  in 
the  upper  grades  historical  issues  fought  out  by  real  men  should  be 
centered  upon.  If  this  is  true,  what  explanation  is  there  for  its 
justification?  Of  what  historical  value  is  a  historical  charade? 
Why  would  this  be  valuable  in  a  one-teacher  country  school? 

5.  Why  should  motives  be  emphasized  in  the  teaching  of  civics? 
Are  not  knowledge  and  conduct  the  things  needed?  Which  of  these 
three  phases  should  come  first? 


I 


REPORT    OF     THE     HISTORY    AND    CIVICS     COMMITTEE      lOQ 

6.  Could  civics  as  a  subject  be  eliminated  from  the  course  of 
study  if  we  teachers  knew  enough  about  the  subject  to  teach  it 
incidentally? 

7.  Miss  Wyman  speaks  of  making  the-  study  of  civics  the  study 
of  local  affairs.  To  what  extent,  I  wonder,  might  the  local  officials 
themselves  be  used  with  profit  in  this  study? 

8.  Is  it  true  that  small  children  in  the  elementary  grades  can 
get  the  idea  that  they  themselves  are  citizens?  Will  the  under- 
standing of  what  they  should  do  and  why  they  should  do  it  guar- 
antee that  they  will  do  the  right  thing?  If  they  do  not,  then  what 
should  the  teacher  do? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions  : 

Teaching  the  Common  Branches — Charters.    Chapter  XI. 

The  Elementary  School,  Curriculum — Bonser.  Chapters  VIII, 
XII. 

The  Teacher,  the  School  and  the  Community — McFee.  Chap- 
ter X. 


Successful  T.— 8 


CHAPTER   X 

COMMUNITY  TEAMWORK 

November  30 
Dear  Hilda: 

"Teamwork"  is  the  biggest  word  in  my  vocabulary- 
nowadays.  I  have  never  realized  before  how  much  more 
can  be  accomplished,  and  how  much  more  pleasant  an 
undertaking  can  be  while  it  is  being  done,  when  people 
work  together  than  when  they  work  alone. 

I  have  the  feeling,  matured  almost  to  the  point  of  a 
conviction,  that  the  reason  why  we  do  not  do  more  team- 
work is  because  of  our  selfishness.  We  are  so  much  afraid 
that  we  will  help  the  other  fellow  that  we  even  sacrifice 
all  the  help  that  he  could  render  us  in  order  to  avoid  it. 
It  is  the  old  story  of  "cutting  off  one's  nose  to  spite  his 
face."  It  would  seem  that  anyone  would  know  that  he 
could  get  more  help  from  a  dozen  others  than  he  alone 
could  give. 

It  is  with  a  blush  that  I  now  recall  some  of  our  thoughts 
and  even  words  on  the  day  of  our  organization  meeting 
on  October  3rd.  Miss  Gallop,  our  county  superintendent, 
had  written  us  that  she  would  like  us  to  cooperate  with 
her  and  Mr.  Moore  to  test  the  value  of  supervision.  Mr. 
Moore  had  been  at  all  of  our  schools  and  had  given  the 
Standard  Tests.  We  had  gathered  for  the  first  teachers' 
meeting  of  the  group.  I  shall  not  say  whether  we  had 
gathered  through  interest  or  through  the  spirit  of  curiosity, 

no 


COMMUNITY    TEAMWORK  III 

or  even  of  criticism.  At  any  rate,  I  am  certain  that  our 
attitude  was  anything  but  that  which  is  represented  by  the 
word  "teamwork." 

To  illustrate  to  you,  let  me  quote  a  few  of  the  expres- 
sions which  I  heard  on  that  day  prior  to  our  first  meeting: — 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  we  are  expected  to  meet 
once  a  month  for  an  entire  day  of  discussion?"  said  one. 

"Yes;  and  on  Saturday,  at  that,"  said  another. 

"Saturday  is  my  only  free  day  to  go  to  town,  to  do  my 
laundering,  and  do  a  thousand  other  things  that  a  teacher 
has  to  do.  Besides,  we  are  not  paid  for  Saturday,"  another 
added. 

"We  get  little  enough  for  our  work  as  it  is.  If  the  school 
board,  or  the  county  superintendent,  or  anyone  else 
wants  us  to  do  this  work,  let  him  pay  us  for  it,"  someone 
else  chimed  in. 

"What  will  we  get  out  of  this,  anyway?  Our  salaries 
will  not  be  raised  a  dollar.  It  will  cost  us  time  and  a  good 
deal  of  money  to  get  to  these  meetings  that  are  to  be  held 
throughout  this  end  of  the  county — all  the  way  from 
Dan  to  Beersheba.  I  don't  propose" — but  Miss  Gallop 
and  Mr.  Moore  came  in  just  at  that  juncture,  and  the 
discussion  was  cut  short.  I  don't  know  what  might  have 
happened  if  the  discussion  had  progressed  much  further. 

You  can  see,  Hilda,  we  were  rapidly  getting  to  the  point 
of  believing  ourselves  very  much  wronged.  We  were 
imaginin^^^^B|es  duped  to  serve  the  purposes  of 
another,  ^^^^^^nverlooking  entirely  what  we  were  to 
gain.  W^^^^^^Ke  that  our  work  was  to  be  studied  for 
the  benefi^^J^^ other  teachers.  Not  once  did  we  think 
of  the  social  pleasure  that  would  be  derived  from  our  com- 


112  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

ing  together.  We  did  not  consider  the  service  that  might 
be  rendered  these  poor  Httle  rural  communities  by  having 
meetings  of  an  unusual  character  held  in  them.  Our 
professional  growth  was  put  entirely  out  of  sight.  No, 
we  were  suspicious  that  someone  else  might  profit  from 
our  work.  That  was  sufficient.  I  am  sure  that  there  is 
not  one  of  the  number  who  would  not  now  blush  to  recall 
the  words  of  that  little  comedy  which  served  as  the  pro- 
logue of  the  big  drama  that  we  are  now  playing. 

By  the  end  of  that  first  meeting  we  had  each  and  all 
reahzed  what  we  had  gained  by  our  cooperative  effort. 
In  one  short  session  we  had  learned  how  to  score  that 
particular  Standard  Test  in  Reading.  We  had  learned 
how  to  figure  a  class  "Median;"  we  understood  what  the 
"Mode"  of  the  class  meant.  We  could  see  what  the  upper 
quarter,  the  lower  quarter,  and  the  middle  half  of  the  class 
distribution  were.  We  had  come  to  have  some  under- 
standing of  the  relation  of  speed  to  quality  in  reading. 
We  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  our  possibilities  as  teachers 
of  that  subject. 

Suppose  we  had  been  working  alone  to  master  the  same 
facts.  It  would  have  taken  us  days,  possibly  weeks  to  have 
mastered  the  same  thought.  The  tragedy  of  it  is  that  we 
probably  would  not  have  mastered  it  at  all.  People  do 
not  work  much  when  working  alone.  It  takes  contact  to 
cause  us  to  work.  Sociologists  have  shown  that  the  great 
people  come  from  the  crowded  sections  o^^^^untry.  It 
takes  the  crowd  to  develop  in  the  indfl^^^^Be  impulse 
to  ^^^^^^m 

When  the  next  meeting  was  held  o^^^BRnber  ist, 
here  at  my  little  school,  I  saw  some  more  evidences  of  the 


COMMUNITY    TEAMWORK  II3 

benefit  of  teamwork.  Never  before  in  the  history  of  our 
school,  probably,  had  all  the  people  of  the  district  gotten 
together  to  do  their  best  in  the  entertainment  of  a  group 
of  outsiders.  They  found  genuine  pleasure  in  doing  it  and 
are  now  proud  of  themselves  on  account  of  their  accomp- 
lishment. From  the  time  the  committee  got  together  to 
plan  their  meal  until  the  last  person  was  served,  there  was 
teamwork.  One  provided  one  thing,  another  another 
thing,  until  the  entire  meal  had  been  arranged.  In  the 
serving  of  the  meal,  each  hostess  had  her  own  particular 
part  to  perform.  There  was  no  duplication  of  materials  or 
eJBfort. 

I  have  already  told  you  of  the  work  done  by  the  teachers' 
committee  at  the  afternoon  session  of  that  day.  You  will 
see  that  there  was  teamwork  in  that  committee.  So  well 
did  it  plan  its  work  that  there  was  no  repetition,  and  yet 
all  that  was  said  fit  so  well  into  everything  else  that  was 
said,  that  it  might  easily  have  been  the  discussion  of  one 
person. 

What  I  have  said  of  the  meeting  at  my  school  on  Novem- 
ber ist  might  have  been  said  with  an  equal  amount  of 
truth  about  the  meeting  held  on  November  2 2d  at  Miss 
Fish's  school.  The  fact  is  that  the  spirit  of  teamwork 
seems  to  have  gripped  us — teachers  and  patrons. 

The  thought  that  is  now  taking  possesssion  of  me  is: 
To  what  extent  might  this  idea  be  carried  if  it  were  prop- 
erly cultivated?  Already  I  see  that  the  children  may  be 
taken  into  the  gan;e  just  as  well  as  the  adults.  During  this 
month  we  are  do|b.g  some  interesting  work  in  spelling. 
Every  teachef  and  child  in  the  zone  is  cooperating  in  it. 
I  dare  say  that  every  parent  is,  also.    From  what  I  know 


114  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

of  the  situation  in  my  district,  that  is  true.  I  shall  tell 
you  more  of  this  in  my  next  letter. 

If  such  is  true  of  this  small  organization  of  ours,  I  won- 
der if  it  might  not  be  true  of  a  much  larger  organization. 
It  was  true  of  us  during  the  war.  As  a  nation,  we  all  did 
fine  teamwork.  We  saved  our  money.  We  "hooverized" 
on  the  various  kinds  of  food  that  were  needed  by  our 
soldiers.  We  contributed  to  the  various  funds  that  were 
collected;  we  made  bandages  and  garments  for  the  Red 
Cross.    We  did  teamwork. 

Since  the  war,  we  seem  to  have  lost  the  art  of  cooperat- 
ing. We,  like  the  biblical  hog,  seem  to  have  returned  to 
the  mire.  We  seem  to  be  afraid  that  someone  else  will 
get  the  credit.  We  seem  to  think  that  everybody  but  our- 
selves fell  down  on  the  job  which  he  was  supposed  to  per- 
form. 

That  attitude  in  us  is  pitiful,  tragic,  even,  when  it 
applies  to  national  affairs.  It  is  even  worse,  I  feel,  when  it 
is  manifested  in  matters  of  a  local  nature.  When  it  is 
someone  off  at  Washington,  of  whom  we  are  suspicious  or 
at  whom  we  are  hurling  our  anathemas,  it  may  give  us 
relief  to  give  vent  to  our  feelings,  and  yet  it  may  not  do 
him  very  much  harm.  If,  though,  it  is  someone  very  close 
to  us,  the  damage  may  be  irreparable. 

What  I  am  most  interested  in,  therefore,  is  local  team- 
work. I  wonder  if  it  might  not  be  possible  for  us,  locally, 
to  forget  that  we  are  Democrats  and  Republicans,  that 
we  are  townfolk  and  country  folk,  that  we  are  Protestants 
and  Catholics,  Christians  and  Jews.  I  wonder  if  we  could 
not  develop  the  idea  that  we  are,  first  of  all,  human  beings 
and  members  of  a  common  society.    We  owe  a  debt  to  all 


COMMUNITY    TEAMWORK  II5 

of  society  that  is  greater  than  that  which  we  owe  to  any 
section  of  it,  with  the  exception  of  our  own  family  for 
whom  we  are  chiefly  responsible. 

I  have  been  thinking  of  what  might  be  accomplished  in 
a  county  if  the  various  forces  were  really  to  cooperate, 
do  real  teamwork.  What  might  we  teachers  accomplish 
if  we  conceived  some  big  piece  of  work  for  our  county 
and  then  put  our  "shoulders  to  the  wheel"  to  carry  it 
through!  What  a  service  the  ministers  of  a  county  could 
render  if  they  would  forget  their  own  little  congregations 
and  the  particular  dogmas  of  their  special  creeds!  What 
miracles  might  the  physicians  of  a  county  perform  within 
one  month  if  they  were  to  go  cooperatively  into  the  miracle 
business!  What  a  mass  of  legal  misunderstanding  and 
community  discord  might  the  lawyers  prevent  if  they  set 
themselves  the  task  of  mass  service!  Suppose  that  all  of 
the  community  service  agencies  of  a  county,  such  as  the 
County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  the  Agricultural  Agent, 
the  Home  Demonstration  Agent,  the  Red  Cross  Nurse 
and  the  County  Physician  were  to  cooperate  in  a  series 
of  "revivals"  for  the  purpose  of  educating  the  public 
along  health  lines,  don't  you  think  they  could  do  more  in 
one  month  to  awaken  the  intelligence  of  the  county  than 
they  all  do  now  during  an  entire  year?  I  do. 

There  is  no  subject  about  which  the  public  is  more 
ignorant  and  at  the  same  time  in  which  it  is  more  interested 
than  the  matter  of  taxes.  Can  you  think  of  anything  that 
would  do  more  to  educate  the  people  than  a  series  of 
institutes  held  in  various  communities  of  a  county  for  the 
purpose  of  informing  and  instructing  the  public  about  the 
county    government.     The    amount    of    money    needed, 


Il6     SUCCESSFUL  TEACHING  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS 

how  it  is  assessed,  how  it  is  collected,  how  it  is  distributed, 
how  it  is  sometimes  wasted,  how  it  might  be  conserved. 
Every  officer  of  the  county,  from  County  Commissoner 
or  PoHce  Juror  up  to  the  State  Senator,  should  be  drafted 
at  intervals  to  serve  as  a  part  of  a  "flying  squadron"  to 
tell  the  people  about  their  government.  Such  teamwork 
on  the  part  of  our  officials  would  do  much  to  make  us 
pleased  with  our  governments  and  make  us  more  intelligent 
and  responsible  citizens. 

We  teachers  are  sometimes  blamed  for  our  ignorance 
along  the  civic  and  political  lines.  We  cannot  know 
everything.  What  I  think  we  should  be  blamed  for,  though, 
is  for  not  drafting  all  of  the  other  people  in  a  county  to 
assist  us  in  teaching  the  public.  There  are  plenty  of  people 
who  know  much  more  about  their  work  than  we  do.  We 
should  never  teach  anything  if  we  can  find  someone  else 
who  can  teach  it  better  than  we  ourselves  can.  If  we  can 
draft  him  into  the  service,  he  will  not  only  do  a  good  piece 
of  work  that  the  people  need  to  have  done,  but  he  will  be 
our  friend  forever,  because  we  gave  him  the  opportunity 
to  do  it. 

As  I  said  once  before,  our  task  must  be  that  of  dis- 
covering talent.  We  must  discover  it  in  our  boys  and  girls, 
to  be  sure,  but  we  must  also  discover  it  in  the  men  and 
women  who  are  around  us.  One  of  the  biggest  discoveries 
we  make  must  be  to  discover  the  teachers  of  our  com- 
munity and  our  county.  We  must  realize  that  they  are 
engaged  in  all  sorts  of  business.  Some  can  teach  by  tell- 
ing what  to  do.  Many  more  can  teach  by  showing  how 
to  do.  The  latter  are  the  persons,  especially,  whom  we 
must  get  into  the  teaching  game.    If  we  could  just  find 


COMMUNITY    TEAMWORK  II7 

all  of  these  people  and  get  them  to  show  to  others  what 
they  can  do,  w^e  would  be  benefactors,  indeed.  To  do  this 
would  be  to  develop  teamwork  of  the  very  best  kind. 

There  is  another  idea,  Hilda,  which  we  as  teachers 
must  get  more  clearly  in  mind  than  we  have  formerly — 
that  is,  that  it  is  not  what  others  do  for  people  but  what 
people  themselves  do  which  educates  and  benefits  them 
most.   We  must  get  the  people  also  to  realize  this  fact. 

Mr.  Moore  told  me  a  story  recently,  of  two  towns  in 
Oregon  with  which  he  is  familiar,  which  illustrates  the 
point  which  I  have  in  mind.  One  of  those  towns  was 
Korvallia,  the  other  was  Allison,  a  smaller  town  in 
the  same  county  which  is  located  beyond  the  Coast 
Range  mountains,  down  near  the  Pacific. 

Korvallia  wished  to  hear  some  good  music.  It  secured 
as  one  of  its  musical  attractions  for  the  season  Sousa's 
Band.  To  do  so,  cost  it  several  thousand  dollars.  The 
band  came,  rendered  its  program  and  went  away.  The 
music  was  greatly  enjoyed,  of  course,  but  when  it  had 
gone,  there  was  left  nothing  but  a  memory. 

Allison,  on  the  other  hand,  had  a  musical  aspiration.  It 
employed  David  South  as  the  principal  of  its  school. 
David  South  was  not  only  a  teacher  of  the  ordinary  sub- 
jects; he  was  a  discoverer  of  human  gifts,  particularly 
musical  gifts.  It  was  not  long  before  he  had  organized  a 
band  which  contained  fifty  pieces.  A  large  percentage  of 
the  community— young,  old  and  middle-aged — were  co- 
operating in  the  production  of  music.  He  worked  for 
three  years  as  the  principal  of  that  school.  For  less  money 
than  Korvallia  had  paid  for  an  evening's  entertainment, 
Allison  had  secured  the  service  of  David  South  for  three 


Il8  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

years.  South  did  the  work  for  which  he  was  employed, 
but  in  addition,  he  trained  a  band.  When  he  left,  there 
remained  behind  him  in  the  aesthetic  ideals  and  in  the 
motor  habits  of  the  people,  a  power  both  to  appreciate 
music  and  to  produce  it.  I  submit  to  you  the  question: 
Which  of  those  communities  had  made  the  wiser  invest- 
ment of  its  funds? 

Suppose  that  we,  as  teachers,  had  the  skill  of  making 
the  people  conscious  of  their  own  latent  powers.  Suppose 
that  we  ourselves  not  only  had  the  power  to  lead  in  a 
number  of  activities  but  the  gift  of  finding  others  to  lead 
in  many  more.  If  we  could  do  this,  we  could  have  many 
teams  cooperating  to  pull  the  community  load  toward 
social  betterment. 

Let  us,  then,  not  be  so  busy  pulling  in  our  own  little 
team,  or  driving  our  Httle  team,  as  the  case  may  be,  that 
we  fail  to  see  the  other  possible  good  teams  that  are  graz- 
ing in  the  pastures,  unused  and  unhappy.  Let's  discover 
all  of  the  good  draft  horses  and  team  drivers  of  our  com- 
munity and  get  them  into  the  big  game  of  carrying  forward 
the  load  of  community  needs.  If  we  can  do  this,  there  is 
no  danger  of  lack  of  progress  because  of  lack  of  motive 
power. 

In  the  spirit  to  pull,  I  am 

Your  Martha 


HILDA'S   MEDITATIONS 

I.  Those  teachers  certainly  were  starting  out  in  an  ugly  mood. 
I  wonder  what  was  the  cause  of  such  a  spirit  among  them?  Could 
such  a  spirit  of  suspicion  be  found  among  other  groups  besides 
teachers? 


COMMUNITY    TEAMWORK  II9 

2.  Is  it  possible  that  the  town  is  providing  more  great  men  than 
is  the  country? 

3.  What  are  the  things  which  a  group  of  from  ten  to  twenty 
teachers  when  working  together  can  do  better  than  when  working 
separately? 

4.  What  are  some  of  the  things  that  have  been  accomplished 
by  rural  people  when  they  did  teamwork?  Could  practically  any 
rural  village  have  a  band  like  that  one  at  Allison? 

5.  Could  I  arrange  for  an  "institute  on  wheels,"  composed 
of  the  ofl&cials  of  my  county,  to  educate  the  people  of  my  com- 
munity? What  are  the  topics  that  I  would  like  to  have  dis- 
cussed in  my  own  community? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Social  Psychology — Ross.    Chapter  II. 

Constructive  Rural  Sociology — Gillette.    Chapters  XVI,  XVIII. 

The  Social  Environment — Davies. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  NEW  TYPE   OF   SPELLING  MATCH   OCCURS   AT   WARREN 

December  19 
Dear  Hilda: 

Christmas  holidays  are  here.  They  really  started  for 
us  to-day  instead  of  to-morrow  as  they  normally  should. 
This  was  spelling  month  with  us  in  our  demonstration 
district  and  we  concluded  it  with  an  oral  spelling  match 
at  Warren  to-day.  We  usually  hold  our  teachers'  meeting 
on  Saturday  but  this  time  we  decided  to  hold  it  on  Friday 
so  that  the  plans  for  the  holiday  vacation  would  not  be 
interfered  with. 

The  plan  for  the  meeting  differed  somewhat  this  time 
from  that  formerly  used.  The  purpose  of  this  meeting 
was  primarily  social  (I  shall  discuss  the  match  later  in 
the  letter).  During  this  month  we  have  been  making 
spelling  our  special  interest.  Instead  of  taking  for  our 
work  the  words  in  the  regularly  adopted  spelling  book, 
we  made  up  our  own  list  of  words.  All  of  the  people  in 
this  demonstration  district  are  farmers.  Mr.  Moore 
suggested  that  we  take  Gem  County  and  its  historical, 
agricultural,  and  social  interests  as  the  basis  for  our  spell- 
ing for  the  month.  This  we  did.  For  the  first  ten  days  of 
the  month  we  selected  words  for  our  spelling  lists.  We  had 
a  special  topic  on  which  to  select  words  for  each  day. 
The  entire  school  participated  in  making  the  lists,  that  is, 
all  the  children  of  each  school  were  in  one  spelling  class 

120 


THE     SPELLING    MATCH    AT     WARREN  121 

during  those  days.  Each  child  contributed  whatever  he 
could.  When  each  school  had  completed  its  list  on  the  ten 
topics,  it  sent  its  ten  word  lists  to  Mr.  Moore  who  took 
them,  put  them  together  and  made  a  spelling  book  which 
contained  all  of  the  words  that  had  been  sent  in  from  all 
of  the  fifteen  schools.  The  following  are  the  ten  subjects 
used: 

1.  Words  dealing  with  the  history  of  Gem  County. 

2.  Words  dealing  with  Gem  County  soil. 

3.  Words  dealing  with  Gem  County  crops. 

4.  Words  dealing  with  crop  pests  in  Gem  County. 

5.  Words  that  relate  to  some  allies  of  Gem  County  farmers. 

6.  Words  dealing  with  pure-bred  animals  and  fowls  in   Gem 
County. 

7.  Words  relating  to  an  up-to-date  Gem  County  barn. 

8.  Words  relating  to  an  up-to-date  Gem  County  farm. 

9.  Words   relating   to   an   up-to-date   Gem    County   country 
home. 

ID.  Words  relating  to  an  up-to-date  country  community  in 
Gem  County. 

It  was  a  joy  to  see  my  pupils  work  on  the  preparation  of 
these  ten  lists.  Heretofore  I  have  usually  assigned  from 
four  to  eight  words  in  the  spelling  book  as  a  lesson.  Dur- 
ing the  ten  days  that  we  were  making  the  lists,  I 
said:  "Now,  bring  in  for  to-morrow  as  many  words  as 
you  can  find  that  relate  to  our  particular  subject."  Some- 
times a  child  who  would  grumble  over  five  words  in  an 
ordinary  spelling  lesson  would  bring  in  a  list  of  twenty-five 
words  and  be  thrilled  over  his  accomplishment  The  more 
words  he  found  on  the  subject,  the  happier  he  would  be. 

Our  school  list  for  each  day  was  compiled  by  making  a 
composite  list  of   all   the   appropriate   words   that  were 


122  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

brought  in  by  all  the  pupils.  One  would  write  the  words 
on  the  board  as  the  others  made  their  contributions.  We 
would  let  the  little  children  give  their  words  first.  It  was  al- 
ways great  sport  for  them  if  they  had  found  so  many  that 
the  children  in  the  upper  grades  could  not  add  to  the  list. 
The  children  learned  more  about  the  library  and  its  con- 
tents during  the  ten  days  in  which  they  were  making 
their  spelling  books  than  they  had  during  all  of  their 
previous  school  lives.  They  have  dug  into  the  encyclopedia, 
read  the  state  histories,  gone  over  some  ancient  scrap- 
books  which  were  in  the  community,  studied  the  county 
map,  gone  over  with  microscope  and  fine-tooth  comb  every 
old  farm  paper  and  report  of  the  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture that  they  could  find  in  the  bottom  part  of  the  book- 
case or  the  dark  corner  of  the  coal  shed.  They  have  put 
questions  to  everyone  that  came  around  them  and  have 
made  life  take  on  a  new  interest  for  their  parents  by  de- 
manding each  night  some  words  which  applied  to  an  up- 
to-date  this  or  an  up-to-date  that. 

Just  as  I  said  in  a  previous  letter,  Hilda,  children,  if 
given  half  a  chance,  will  educate  themselves  and  be  happy 
while  doing  it.  If  we  teachers  were  only  shrewd  enough  to 
arrange  the  situations  so  as  to  challenge  the  child's  interest 
and  ability  instead  of  making  him  conscious  of  a  monot- 
onous chore,  if  we  could  do  this,  we  would  change  the 
whole  atmosphere  and  result  of  school  life. 

Life  should  never  grow  stale.  Every  year  of  one's  life 
should  be  as  rich  as  are  the  first  five,  in  so  far  as  live  interests 
and  desire  to  learn  are  concerned.  The  information  that 
we  acquire  throughout  our  whole  lives  should  be  acquired 
just  as  naturally  and  as  eagerly  as  it  is  during  those  first 


THE     SPELLING     MATCH    AT    WARREN  1 23 

five  years.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  our  interest  is  an  evergreen, 
a  perennial.  Its  appetite  does  change  somewhat,  it  feeds 
upon  different  foods  at  different  stages,  but  it  should  al- 
ways be  keen  and  relish  whatever  it  takes. 

We  teachers  must  be  better  pedagogical  cooks  in  the 
future.  We  must  study  people's  intellectual  appetites  and 
put  before  them  the  things  which  they  naturally  crave  or 
else  cultivate  their  appetites  so  wisely  that  they  will  crave 
the  things  that  are  put  before  them.  That  is  what  we  did 
last  summer  in  our  cook  car,  Hilda.  If  we  as  cooks  would 
go  to  the  trouble  to  think  in  order  that  we  might  get  a 
"harvest  hand"  to  eat  and  be  happy,  why  will  we  not 
think  equally  as  earnestly  to  get  a  "school  child  to  eat 
his  intellectual  food  and  be  happy?" 

The  cafeteria  takes  into  account  individual  differences; 
too  often  the  school  does  not.  At  the  cafeterias  they  do 
not  expect  all  of  the  people  to  eat  the  same  things  nor 
the  same  amounts  of  what  they  do  eat.  There  they  put 
the  dishes  out  to  tempt  the  diners,  and  each  person  takes 
the  thing  that  appeals  to  him  most.  But  in  our  schools  we 
line  up  our  children  in  a  row,  set  before  them  certain  in- 
tellectual dishes,  and  say  to  them:  "Here  it  is,  eat  it. 
I  hope  you  like  it,  but  whether  you  do  or  not,  eat  it.  I 
show  no  partiality  in  my  school.  You  each  have  the 
same  amount  and  you  must  each  eat  all  that  is  set  be- 
fore you.  If  you  do  not  eat  it  now,  it  will  be  set  before 
you  next  time.  Remember,  eating  is  not  a  privilege,  it 
is  a  duty.  You  must  eat  as  a  duty  to  yourself  and  to 
society." 

Hilda,  I  submit  it  to  you:  Just  how  long  would  you 
enjoy  your  meals  if  you  had  them  set  before  you  in  this 


124  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

manner  three  times  every  day?  I  am  willing  to  wager 
that  you, — you  who  enjoy  eating  so  well — would  go  on 
a  food  strike  in  less  than  a  week.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
many  of  our  most  healthy  boys — physically — go  on  a  brain- 
food  strike  when  it  is  put  before  them  after  this  fashion? 
All  that  we,  as  teachers,  seem  to  know  is  that  certain 
information,  certain  knowledge,  is  useful  in  later  Hfe. 
So  we  block  it  out  in  daily  rations,  and  require  the  chil- 
dren to  take  it  according  to  written  prescriptions.  We 
do  not  study  the  child's  appetite,  his  capacity,  his 
nationality,  or  anything  except  what  we  conceive  his 
"later  life"  needs  to  be. 

Occasionally  it  becomes  necessary  for  a  physician  to 
give  us,  in  the  form  of  a  tonic,  some  element  which  our 
bodies  demand  but  which  we  have  not  had  supplied  through 
the  normal  avenues.  All  good  physicians  tell  us  that  it  is 
better  and  easier  to  get  iron  through  eating  certain  foods 
than  it  is  through  medicine,  and  certainly  it  is  much  more 
palatable.  Let's  stop  making  medicine  out  of  our  mental 
foods  and  discover  ways  to  get  our  children  to  eat  the 
things  that  they  need  and  do  so  in  a  way  that  will  be  a 
pleasure  to  them  while  doing  it. 

But  I  was  going  to  tell  you  about  the  spelKng  match. 
The  teachers'  club  held  its  meeting  from  lo  to  ii  in  the 
forenoon.  It  had  to  be  brief  for  there  was  so  much  that 
was  to  follow.  We  had  two-minute  reports  from  all  of  the 
teachers  on  the  devices  used  during  the  month  in  the 
teaching  of  spelling.  The  variety  was  great  and  the  clever- 
ness of  some  was  noteworthy.  After  the  spelling  reports 
were  given,  Mr.  Moore  took  thirty  minutes  to  discuss 


i 


THE     SPELLING    MATCH    AT     WARREN 


125 


the  work  to  be  done  in  arithmetic  during  January.    I 
shall  tell  you  about  that  next  month. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  match  began.  For  the  sake  of  fun 
and  community  interest,  it  was  arranged  to  have  the 
children  all  spell  against  the  adults.    The  big  point  of  this 


A     SPELLING   MATCH   IN    WHICH    ALL    TOOK   PART 

match  was  not  how  well  anyone  spelled  but  rather  whether 
or  not  everyone  spelled  who  was  present.  On  the  one 
side  were  all  of  the  children  from  the  second  to  the  eighth 
grade.  On  the  other  side  were  the  adults — everyone  from 
the  farm  hands  to  the  county  superintendent  and  the  head 
of  the  rural  department  of  the  normal  school.  The  chil- 
dren had  some  advantage,  to  be  sure.  To  begin  with, 
they  had  prepared  the  spelling  book  and  had  two  weeks  in 
which  to  study  the  words  as  a  preparation  for  the  match. 

Successful  T. — 9 


126  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

It  is  needless,  therefore,  to  say  who  won  in  this  oral  con- 
test. Even  though  the  children  were  supposed  to  learn  to 
spell  only  those  words  which  were  easy  for  them  and  suit- 
able to  their  grades,  it  was  found  that  many  of  the  smallest 
children  could  spell  even  the  most  difficult  words.  It  was 
rich  to  see  some  teacher  or  school  board  member  or  prom- 
inent citizen  go  down  on  some  word  like  "fungicide," 
*'Percheron"  or  "irrigation,"  and  then  have  some  little 
chap  in  an  elementary  grade  spell  it. 

The  contest  was  over  by  noon.  Mr.  Moore  announced 
that  this  spelling  match  was  but  a  sample  and  a  sugges- 
tion of  the  big  spelling  match  which  we  shall  have  at 
Marshfield  next  May. 

The  noon  hour  was  a  very  pleasant  one.  The  children 
and  the  citizens  of  the  entire  Demonstration  Zone  got 
acquainted  with  each  other.  Warren  served  hot  lunch 
to  all.  In  the  afternoon  we  had  an  interesting  program. 
First,  the  children  who  were  the  champions  for  their 
several  grades,  in  the  various  subjects  tested  by  the 
Standard  Tests  given  in  September,  were  introduced  to 
the  audience.  Then  each  school  represented,  gave  a  little 
three-minute  stunt  so  that  everyone  might  see  who  every- 
one else  was.  After  this  the  meeting  closed  by  having 
short  talks  by  two  professors  from  the  normal  school,  by 
the  two  county  superintendents  who  were  present,  by  the 
county  agricultural  agent  for  this  county,  and  by  a  visiting 
school  official  from  the  state  department  of  education  in 
Nebraska.  Each  speaker  had  a  message  of  optimism  and 
encouragement  for  rural  teachers  and  rural  people. 

Throughout  the  day  the  thing  which  was  interesting  me 
most  was  the  number  of  people  who  were  participating  in 


Ji 


THE     SPELLING     MATCH    AT     WARREN  1 27 

the  program.  There  were  more  than  two  hundred  people 
present  and  every  one  of  them  felt  that  the  success  of  the 
meeting  in  some  way  depended  upon  him.  Say  what  you 
may,  Hilda,  everyone  likes  to  work,  likes  to  feel  that  he 
counts  in  the  world's  affairs.  Our  big  job  as  teachers  and 
as  citizens  is  to  discover  genius  and  get  it  to  work  on  the 
job  that  it  can  do  best.  We  have  individual  genius  and 
social  genius.  We  need  both.  We  must  discover  both 
sorts,  develop  both  sorts  and  use  both  sorts.  I  see  from 
to-day's  meeting  that  there  is  plenty  of  social  genius 
out  here  on  these  plains  but  we  need  social  farmers  to 
cultivate  the  crop.  A  spelling  match  of  the  sort  we  had 
to-day  is  one  way  to  plant  social  seed,  to  germinate  social 
seed,  and  cultivate  the  plant  of  social  genius. 

I  shall  see  you  the  day  after  Christmas  at  Minneapolis. 
My  patrons  here  insist  that  I  visit  with  them  until  after 
Christmas  day.  It  is  both  inspiring  and  pathetic  to  see 
the  spirit  which  they  manifest.  How  can  anyone  teach 
and  fail  to  enjoy  the  work,  love  the  children  and  the 
people?  I  have  always  felt  this  way  about  the  children 
and  the  people.  The  thing  that  has  discouraged  me  in  the 
past  about  the  school  work  was  the  absence  of  professional 
companionship  and  inspiration.  But  now  that  we  have 
Mr.  Moore,  that  deficiency  has  been  supplied.  None  of 
the  fears  that  I  had  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  have  come 
true  and  every  hope  is  being  realized.  I  wish  you  could 
see  how  my  children  and  my  people  love  Mr.  Moore. 
To-morrow  morning  I  am  going  to  pack  a  Christmas  box 
as  a  surprise  for  him  from  our  school.  Each  of  the  chil- 
dren has  made  some  little  gift  for  him  or  for  some  member 
of  his  family,  and  every  family  represented  in  the  school 


128  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

is  contributing  at  least  two  things  to  the  box.  The  Worthy 
children  are  presenting  their  fattest  duck  and  a  half 
gallon  of  chowchow;  Helen  Inkle  is  giving  a  quart  of  jelly 
and  two  pounds  of  butter;  Mamie  Grout  is  to  bring  half  a 
gallon  of  strained  honey  and  a  pound  of  butter;  the  Simon 
children  are  giving  a  chicken  and  a  fruit  cake;  and  the 
Schumann  children  are  giving  five  pounds  of  sugar  (you 
know  what  that  means  now  at  the  present  price  of  sugar) 
and  two  pounds  of  home-made  sausage.  You  see  we  are 
making  it  a  big  Christmas.  It  is  all  a  proof  of  what  I  have 
always  believed,  viz.,  that  if  our  school-teachers  and  school 
oi!icials  would  show  some  real  personal  interest  and  gen- 
uine loyalty  to  the  rural  people,  the  hearty  response  would 
not  be  lacking. 

Wishing  you  a  royal  Christmas,  I  am 

Devotedly, 

Martha 

HILDA'S   MEDITATIONS 

1.  That  spelling  match  and  what  went  before  it  in  the  way  of 
preparation  interests  me  very  much.  I  am  a  little  puzzled,  though, 
why  it  should  have  been  called  "spelling."  Might  not  the  work 
with  just  as  much  accuracy,  have  been  called  agriculture,  sociology, 
economics,  local  history,  or  community  civics? 

2.  I  note  that  the  children  supplied  the  words  which  were  to 
be  spelled.  Is  there  any  pedagogical  advantage  to  be  gained  by 
such  procedure?  Was  there  any  advantage  in  the  consciousness 
of  the  children  of  each  school  that  the  children  of  a  number  of 
other  schools  were  making  lists  on  the  same  subjects?  What 
effect  had  the  approaching  match  at  which  the  children  were  to 
compete  with  the  adults?  Could  the  ordinary  spelling  lessons  have 
prompted  them  to  have  done  so  much  investigating?  What  are 
the  weaknesses  of  such  a  plan  for  the  teaching  of  spelling? 


THE     SPELLING     MATCH    AT     WARREN  1 29 

3.  Martha  says  that  every  year  of  one's  life  should  be  as  full  of 
new,  live  interests  as  are  the  earlier  years  of  a  child's  life.  Why  do 
our  interests  become  fewer?  Why  do  we  lose  the  spirit  of  in- 
vestigation which  we  have  in  our  childhood? 

4.  I  certainly  have  enjoyed  my  experience  with  Martha  while 
we  were  serving  as  a  part  of  the  threshing  crew  but  I  think  I  could 
appreciate  what  she  is  saying  without  having  it  so  often  illustrated 
by  our  experience.  She  is  right,  though,  that  1  would  strike  at 
once  if  my  food  were  offered  to  me  as  I  offer  knowledge  to  children 
at  school.  I  wonder  if  this  illustration  does  fairly  represent  what 
other  teachers  do? 

5.  What  are  the  purposes  served  by  such  a  meeting  as  that  held 
at  Warren?  Among  those  present  were  children,  parents,  teachers, 
helping-teacher,  county  superintendents,  normal  school  instructors, 
and  outside  educational  visitors.  What  did  each  contribute  to  the 
success  of  the  meeting?  What  should  each  receive  from  such  a 
meeting? 

6.  Martha's  people  seem  very  appreciative  of  both  her  and  the 
helping-teacher.  Is  this  attitude  peculiar  to  the  people  of  her 
district?  Who  is  responsible  for  that  attitude — the  people  them- 
selves, IMartha,  or  Mr.  Moore?  Should  such  a  gift  as  her  children 
presented  to  Mr.  Moore  be  encouraged?  Why?  Why  not?  Are 
teachers  and  supervisory  officers  really  responsible  for  patrons  not 
showing  that  spirit  of  appreciation? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

New  Schools  for  Old — ^Dewey.    Chapter  V. 

A  Guide  to  the  Teaching  of  Spelling — Pryor  and  Pittman.  Part 
II,  Chapter  V. 

Our  Pubhc  Schools— Corson.    Chapters  XVII,  XVIII,  XIX,  XX. 

Rural  Life  and  the  Rural  School — Kennedy.    Chapter  X. 

The  Teacher,  the  School,  and  the  Community — McFee.  Chap- 
ters XIX,  XX. 


CHAPTER  XII 

MARTHA   DELVES   INTO   THE   PROJECT   METHOD 

Sunday,  January  i8 
Dear  Hilda: 

I  have  not  forgotten  my  promise  to  write  you  as  soon 
as  I  knew  all  about  the  Project  Method  of  Teaching.  The 
fact  is  that  I  have  decided  to  write  you  long  before  that 
time.  If  I  waited  as  long  as  that,  I  fear  you  would  be 
advertising  for  me. 

During  the  two  weeks  since  my  return,  I  have  taught 
school  all  day — arithmetic  especially — and  each  night  I 
have  studied  the  theory  of  the  Project  Method  and  the 
philosophy  upon  which  it  is  based. 

Sometimes  I  have  thought  that  I  was  getting  very  wise — 
was  a  philosopher,  so  to  speak.  Sometimes  I  have  felt 
that  I  was  absolutely  lost.  I  was  not  certain  whether  I 
was  entirely  lacking  in  sense  or  whether  I  merely  had 
"scrambled  brains." 

According  to  my  plans  I  stopped  in  Amberville  and  saw 
Mr.  Moore  on  my  return  from  the  city.  He  loaded  me 
down  with  material  from  which  he  said  I  could  get  all  of 
the  information  I  needed  about  the  Project  Method.  He 
told  me  to  read  especially  "My  Pedagogic  Creed"  and 
''Democracy  and  Education,"  both  by  John  Dewey,  and 
''The  Project  Method"  by  Wilham  Heard  Kilpatrick. 
Kilpatrick,  he  said,  was  a  great  teacher,  and  John  Dewey, 
he  said,  was  a  great  philosopher.    Besides  these,  he  gave 

130 


THE     PROJECT    METHOD  I31 

me  a  number  of  articles  by  people  whom  he  called  "The 
Lesser  Lights." 

I  came  home  with  a  very  proud  and  haughty  manner, 
I  fear.  I  was  "getting  up  in  the  world."  I  was  " studying 
philosophy."  I  was  attending  Columbia  University  and 
getting  instruction  from  some  of  the  world's  most  famous 
teachers.  I  was  hobnobbing  with  the  world's  educationally 
elite.  I  looked  at  Miss  Bogard's  and  Miss  St.  John's 
schools  as  I  came  by  in  a  very  Pharisaical  spirit.  I  had  a 
feeling  of  "I  am  educationally  more  holy  than  thou.  I  am 
studying  the  Project  Method." 

Well,  I  lost  that  very  superior  attitude  just  fifteen 
minutes  after  supper.  I  usually  help  Mrs.  Worthy  with  the 
dishes  and  help  get  the  breakfast  plans  started  before  I  be- 
gin my  evening  study.  But  that  night  I  excused  myself  by 
saying  that  I  "just  had  to  get  into  the  Project  Method." 

I  started  to  read  Dr.  Kilpatrick's  article  first.  I  got 
through  the  first  paragraph  fairly  well.  I  began  to  feel 
that  great  educators  and  philosophers  talk  just  as  you  and 
I  do.  But  in  the  middle  of  the  second  paragraph  I  came 
upon  this  statement: — "It  must  at  the  same  time  pro- 
vide a  place  for  the  adequate  utilization  of  the  laws  of 
learning,  and  no  less  for  the  essential  elements  of  the 
ethical  quality  of  conduct."  Right  then  I  began  to  realize 
that  he  was  using  the  English  language  all  right,  but  not 
my  vocabulary.  He  was  talking  about  the  manipulation 
of  some  intellectual  materials  with  the  same  sort  of  ease 
that  you  and  I  would  talk  about  the  manipulation  of  soda, 
salt,  flour,  milk,  etc.,  in  the  making  of  a  cake.  To  him 
those  things  seemed  very  simple,  plain,  concrete.  To  me, 
they  were  very  complex,  obscure,  abstract. 


132  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

I  read  on  and  came  to  this:  "In  proportion  as  such  a 
unifying  concept  could  be  found,  in  like  proportion  would 
the  work  of  presenting  educational  theory  be  facilitated ;  in 
the  same  proportion  should  be  the  rapid  spread  of  educa- 
tional practice."  I  began  to  be  dizzy.  I  began  to  wish  that 
I  was  in  the  kitchen  drying  the  dishes.  I  knew  I  could  han- 
dle them.  I  began  to  doubt  my  ability  to  handle  these  ideas. 

On  the  next  page  I  found  some  relief.  He  began  to  talk 
about  a  girl  making  a  dress.  That  sounded  like  the  Fashion 
Plate,  so  I  read  on.  I  had  moments  of  hopefulness  quickly 
succeeded  by  centuries  of  despair  until  I  got  over — I  do 
not  say  read — that  article. 

When  I  was  through  with  it  that  first  time,  there  was 
but  one  idea  even  loosely  lodged  in  my  mind.  That  would 
not  have  been,  if  it  had  not  been  so  often  repeated.  That 
idea  was  a  sort  of  a  definition  of  a  project.  I  have  been 
memorizing  definitions  all  my  life,  so,  naturally,  the  first 
thing  I  did  was  to  look  for  some  sort  of  definition.  The 
definition  as  I  got  it  is  "A  project  is  a  whole-hearted  pur- 
poseful act  carried  on  amid  social  surroundings." 

I  began  to  mumble,  mull  over,  meditate  upon  these 
words:  "Act,"  "purposeful  act,"  "whole-hearted  pur- 
poseful act,"  "carried  on,"  "carried  on  amid  surround- 
ing," "amid  social  surroundings."  "A  project  is  a  whole- 
hearted purposeful  act."  "By  whom,"  I  asked.  "Under 
what  conditions,"  I  wondered.  "Amid  social  surroundings" 
came  the  answer.  Then,  I  thought  that  Robinson  Crusoe 
must  not  have  had  any  projects,  if  social  surroundings 
were  necessary. 

Two  hours  had  passed  before  I  had  finished  my  first 
reading  of  that  Kilpatrick  article.    I  mean  my  first  effort 


THE    PROJECT    METHOD  133 

at  reading.    I  have  read  it  a  number  of  times  since.    I 
shall  tell  you  about  that  later. 

"My  Pedagogic  Creed"  looked  interesting,  so  I  turned 
to  it  next.  There  were  three  things  about  it  that  appealed 
to  me.  First,  it  had  the  word  "Pedagogic"  in  it.  I  am  a 
teacher,  so  I  liked  to  roll  that  word  off  my  tongue.  It 
sounded  so  scholarly.  The  second  reason  was  because  it 
was  a  "creed."  I  am  an  Episcopalian,  you  know,  so  the 
words  "I  believe"  seemed  very  natural  and  satisfying  to 
me.  The  third  feature  of  it  which  had  a  charm  for  me  was 
its  brevity.  We  teachers  too  often  select  our  professional 
books  for  their  brevity.  I  read  it  over  the  first  time  as  I 
used  to  read  "The  Psalm  of  Life."  There  was  a  rhythm 
and  a  grandeur  in  the  sound  of  it.  Much  of  it  was  as 
meaningless  to  me  as  was  my  church  creed  when  I  com- 
mitted it  to  memory  but  I  accepted  it  as  good  because  it 
was  a  "creed,"  a  "pedagogic  creed." 

I  retired  that  night  in  a  very  pedagogically  religious 
mood.  You  see  I  had  been  reading  a  "creed."  It  made  no 
difference  that  I  did  not  yet  comprehend  its  meaning.  It 
had  a  religious  tone  to  it,  so  I  was  educationally  religious. 
Pedagogical  piety  was  about  to  possess  me.  In  my  bed- 
side devotions  that  night  I  fear  that  my  creeds  wjere  some- 
what confused  and  that  whatever  my  lips  may  have  said 
in  words  of  prayer,  my  mind  was  saying:  "A  Project  is  a 
whole-hearted,  purposeful  act  carried  on  amid  social 
surroundings." 

During  the  next  two  days — I  mean  nights — I  read 
"The  Lesser  Lights."  I  hesitated  to  attack  the  big  book — 
"Democracy  and  Education"  by  the  "great  philosopher," 
John  Dewey.  You  see,  since  I  have  always  lived  in  Stygian 


134  SUCCESSFUL     TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

darkness,  I  had  to  get  accustomed  to  the  Hght  by  degrees. 
It  is  well  that  I  did,  for  when  I  began  reading  "Democracy 
and  Education,"  I  found  that  I  was  not  able  to  see  any- 
thing. I  suppose  I  must  have  been  so  blinded  by  the 
intensity  of  the  light. 

What  I  am  ashamed  to  confess  to  you  is,  the  words 
seemed  to  be  simple  and  yet  I  could  not  get  the  ideas 
which  they  were  supposed  to  convey.  What  was  the 
trouble?  There  is  a  theory,  I  believe,  that  there  are 
sounds  so  great  that  we  cannot  hear  them,  just  as  there  are 
sounds  so  small  that  the  human  ear  cannot  catch  them. 
Likewise,  I  suppose,  there  are  ideas  so  large  that  they  can- 
not be  grasped.  I  have  long  heard  about  the  fellow  who 
could  get  only  so  much  as  his  own  cup  would  hold.  Here, 
I  discovered  that  I  must  have  a  very  small  cup  for  I  could 
read  a  chapter  and  not  get  the  faintest  suspicion  of  what 
Mr.  Dewey  was  trying  to  tell  me. 

My  teachers  and  parents  used  to  urge  me  not  to  mark 
my  books.  As  a  matter  of  appearance,  that  is  all  right. 
For  the  purpose  of  getting  the  greatest  amount  of  good 
out  of  the  book,  though,  I  doubt  very  much  the  wisdom 
of  such  advice.  I  found  that  Mr.  Moore  had  marked  this 
book  on  every  page.  These  marks  helped  me  very  much. 
They  served  me  as  the  blazed  trees  served  the  pioneers 
in  their  early  efforts  to  find  their  way  through  the  forests. 
Whenever  I  found  a  marked  passage,  I  thought — "well, 
he  must  have  found  some  gold  here,"  so  I  would  dig  down  a 
Httle  deeper  to  see  if  I  also  could  not  find  a  nugget  or  two. 

I  read  the  book  through  once.  Before  I  finished  it, 
I  began  to  "come  to  my  senses,"  as  the  children  say.  I 
began  to  get  the  idea  of  what  it  was  all  about.     When 


THE    PROJECT    METHOD  I35 

I  had  completed  it,  I  then  took  a  day  to  try  to  live  over  and 
recall  the  main  ideas  that  I  had  gotten.  In  my  efforts  to 
review  the  book  mentally  I  found  myself  "stuck"  in  a 
great  many  places. 

I  then  started  to  read  it  again.  This  time  I  did  not  read 
it  page  after  page  and  chapter  after  chapter,  just  as  they 
came  in  the  book;  I  took  them  up  and  read  them  for  the 
purpose  of  answering  my  questions.  I  do  not  have  all 
of  my  questions  answered  yet.  The  more  I  know  about  this 
philosophy  of  "Democracy  and  Education,"  educating  a 
democracy,  educating  for  a  democracy,  educating  by 
and  through  democratic  methods,  I  say,  the  more  I  know 
of  this,  the  more  questions  I  shall  have  to  ask. 

I  find  that  this  book  is  a  kind  of  a  Teachers'  Bible.  It 
is  a  book  that  cannot  be  digested  at  one  sitting.  One 
needs  to  get  a  text  from  it  and  then  think  it  over  from 
many  angles  and  see  its  application.  Like  the  Bible, 
certain  great  principles  run  all  through  it.  When  the 
fundamental  principles  are  really  clear,  then  it  becomes 
easy  to  relate  a  multitude  of  isolated  and  disconnected 
facts  to  those  principles. 
The  big  principles,  as  I  got  them,  are  mainly  these: 

1.  "Ui^are  educated  only  through  experience.  Expe- 
rienceTWiot  just  a  happening.  It  is  a  happening  of  which 
we  are  conscious.  Two  people  may  see  the  same  thing 
and  have  an  entirely  different  experience  because  of  the 
impression  that  the  sight  makes  upon  them. 

2.  The  purpose  of  the  school  is  to  educate.  Since  we 
are  educated  only  through  experience,  then,  the  purpose 
of  the  school  should  be  to  give  those  experiences  that  will 
educate  to  the  end  desired. 


136     SUCCESSFUL  TEACHING  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS 

3.  Our  nation  is  a  nation  with  a  democratic  ideal.  Our 
age  is  an  age  in  which  democracy  is  the  goal  toward  which 
we  strive.  Therefore,  our  school  should  be  a  school  in 
which  the  experiences,  the  education,  should  develop 
the  child  so  that  he  will  feel  at  ease  in  society  when  he 
gets  through  with  his  school  and  takes  up  his  place  as  a 
responsible  person  in  it. 

4.  If  our  school  is  to  give  such  experiences,  such  educa- 
tion, it  must  be  an  institution  where  the  child  can  work 
approximately  as  he  will  have  to  work  when  he  gets 
through  school. 

5.  Our  schools  are  not  now  such  places.  At  present, 
they  are  autocratic.  The  teacher  is  the  ruler.  The  child 
has  no  voice  in  his  govermnent.  He  has  no  responsibility. 
It  is  all  the  teacher's  responsibihty.  He  is  allowed  no 
initiative.  The  teacher  initiates  everything.  He  does  not 
need  to  have  judgment  for  he  has  no  opportunity  to  use 
it.   The  teacher  decides  all  mooted  questions. 

6.  If  our  schools  are  to  become  democratic  institutions 
in  which  democracy  is  practiced  and  democrats  educated, 
then  it  must  undergo  many  changes.  The  teachers  must 
stand  more  in  the  background.  They  must  inspire  child 
initiative,  child  organization,  child  judgment,  jM^d  ap- 
plication of  fundamental  principles  to  specific  p^)lems. 
It  must  become  an  institution  in  which  the  child  can 
experience  more  things  in  a  direct  way,  by  actually  doing 
them,  instead  of  just  studying  a  book  about  them.  It 
must  be  a  place  where  children  meet  as  they  do  in  life, 
as  the  boys  do  on  the  playground  in  vacation  time.  There 
must  be  a  larger  opportunity  to  act  naturally  and  then  to 
see  the  consequences  of  their  acts,  than  is  now  possible  in 


THE    PROJECT    METHOD  I37 

our  schools  where  the  natural  inclinations  are  restrained 
by  the  teachers.  The  schools  must  have,  probably,  different 
books,  furniture,  supplies,  from  those  they  now  have.  It 
may  be  that  the  entire  community  will  become  the  school 
and  that  the  school  ^^l  be  a  p^^of  the  whole  community. 

The  above  six  staremOTts  a^Pnot  all  that  ]SIr.  Dewey 
says  in  his  book.  Those  six  points,  though,  will  perhaps 
give  you  an  idea  of  the  principles  upon  which  he  bases  his 
arguments  and  to  which  he  ties  a  rftul^ude  of  other  ideas. 

When  I  was  through  reading  the  book  the  second  time, 
I  was  then  ready  to  return  to  my  "G«|t  Teacher"  and 
to  "The  Lesser  Lights"  to  see  if  I  coulWind  out  how  the 
Dewey  philosophy  was  to  be  transformed  into  classroom 
practice. 

I  have  found  it  sometimes  easier  testate  an  abstract 
principle  than  it  was  to  provide  thefdMRl^l^  to  trans- 
form a  principle  into  current  practice.  Our  national 
Senate  is  now  having  a  very  warm  conversation  over 
such  a  proposition.  During  the  war  we  all  agreed,  without 
reference  to  party,  that  the  world  MUST  do  something  to 
prevent  wars  in  the  future.  The  League  of  Nations  was 
formed  to  accompHsh  that  universally  desired  end.  But 
the  Senate  seems  not  to  be  able  to  agree  as  to  whether  or 
not  the  machinery  will  work.  I  turned  from  my  reading 
of  Mr.  Dewey's  "Fourteen  Points"  as  it  were,  to  the  study 
of  the  Project  Method  to  see  if  it  contained  any  dis- 
putable "Article  X"  that  might  prevent  its  acceptance 
by  all  parties  in  our  "body  pedagogical." 

Upon  this  reading  of  Dr.  Kilpatrick's  article,  I  found 
myself  much  more  able  to  understand  what  he  is  talking 
about.    There  are  still  a  number  of  expressions  that  he 


138  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

uses  that  are  ''Greek"  to  me.  I  presume  they  are  psycho- 
logical and  sociological  terms.  I  have  some  intimations 
of  what  they  mean  but  I  do  not  fully  understand  them. 
They  perplex  me.  They  provoke  me  because  they  make 
me  get  off  of  my  pedagogical  pedestal  and  admit  that  I 
am  still  mired  in  the  clay  of  prof  essional  ignorance.  I  WILL 
yet  understand,  though,  what  those  expressions  mean, 
Hilda;  I  tell  you  I  WILL  know! 

As  suggested  be^e,«the  general  purpose  of  Kilpatrick's 
article  is  to  present  a  workable  plan  by  which  the  Dewey 
philosophy  may-b^  applied  to  classroom  practice.  It  is 
the  constitution^'and  by-laws,  so  to  speak,  of  the  school 
government,  the  spirit  of  which,  Dewey  presents  in  his 
''Democracy  and  Education."  Dewey  presents  the 
^'whaty  Kilpatri^k  suggests  the  "how"  to  educate  for 
democracy;,  ^ 

I  shall  confine  my  discussion  of  the  Project  to  what  Dr. 
Kilpa trick  says  and  not  confuse  you  with  what  the  "Lesser 
Lights"  say.  As  is  the  case  in  the  development  of  any 
reform,  there  will  be  divisions  into  groups  and  differences 
of  opinion  as  the  reform  advances.  The  "Lesser  Lights" 
seem  to  be  somewhat  confused  as  to  just  what  a  Project 
is.  They  are  not  clear  either  as  to  the  type  of  material 
with  which  it  may  deal.  Neither  are  they  certain  whether 
or  not  the  child  must  start  it  himself  or  may  have  it 
inspired  in  him  by  others.  For  these  reasons,  I  shall 
present  only  what  the  "great  teacher"  himself  says  about 
it. 

In  the  first  place,  he  says  that  a  project  may  be  the 
work  of  one  person  or  it  may  be  the  work  of  a  group  of 
persons  working  together  to  one  end.   Let  me  illustrate : — 


THE    PROJECT    METHOD 


139 


Floyd  Trask,  one  of  Miss  Bogard's  sixth-grade  boys,  is 
a  very  ingenious  chap.  He  observed  the  Rural  Free  De- 
livery man  pass  by  the  schoolhouse  daily,  traveling  in  a 
little  enclosed  one-horse  carriage  which  protected  him 
from  the  cold  north  wind.  This  inspired  in  the  boy  the 
desire  to  have  such  a  "cab,"  as  he  called  it,  in  which  he 
and  his  sisters  might  come  their  two  miles  or  more  to 


THE      CAB      PLANNED   AND   BUILT   BY   ONE   SCHOOLBOY 


school.  He  began  to  plan  for  such  a  "cab."  He  designed 
it,  got  his  materials  and  went  to  work.  Now  he  drives  to 
school  daily  in  that  "cab"  and  he  and  his  sisters  keep  as 
warm  as  toast.  That  was  an  individual  project — self- 
initiated,  whole-heartedly  performed,  and  carried  on  amid 
a  social  surrounding.  By  "social  surroundings"  I  mean 
other  people  were  interested  in  what  he  was  doing  and 
he  was  interested  in  what  others  thought  of  what  he  was 
doing.  It  was  made  to  satisfy  a  felt  need.  The  accomplish- 
ment of  it  was  accompanied  with  satisfaction. 

When  we  had   our  spelling  match   at  Warren  before 
Christmas,  the  Marshfield  children  had  to  meet  the  diffi- 


140 


SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 


culty  of  finding  a  suitable  way  to  get  to  Warren  and  back 
home  again.  Railroad  connections  were  unsatisfactory. 
They  thought  of  one  way  and  then  another.  Finally,  they 
settled  upon  the  plan  of  getting  a  large  wagon,  putting  on 
it  a  hay  crate,  and  covering  it  with  a  tarpaulin.  Into  the 
bottom  and  along  the  sides  of  the  crate  they  put  some  hay. 
This  made  for  them  a  suitable  mode  of  conveyance.    To 


A    SCHOOL    WAGON    PROVIDED    BY    THE    COMMUNITY 

accomphsh  this,  one  family  provided  the  wagon,  another 
furnished  the  crate,  another  contributed  the  tarpaulin, 
someone  else  gave  the  hay,  another  provided  one  of  the 
teams  of  horses  necessary  and  another  provided  the  other 
team.  All  of  the  children  had  had  a  part  in  working  out 
the  plan  and  in  carrying  it  to  its  happy  conclusion.  This 
was  a  group  project— "carried  on  with  whole-hearted 
purposefulness  amid  social  surroundings." 

The  difference  here  is  merely  a  difference  of  numbers. 
You  see,  Hilda,  a  project  may  be  the  work  of  one  person 
acting  alone,  or  it  may  be  the  work  of  millions,  as  it  was 
during  the  war.  If  we  ever  succeed  in  getting  a  League 
of  Nations  perfected  so  that  all  the  people  of  the  entire 


THE    PROJECT    METHOD  I4I 

world  will  be  engaged  in  the  same  worthy  end  of  trying 
to  avoid  war,  then  that  would  be  a  world  project — carried 
on,  we  hope,  "with  whole-hearted  purposeful  activity  amid 
social  surroundings." 

Now,  having  this  idea  of  numbers  fixed  in  mind,  let 
us  turn  next  to  the  types  of  projects  in  which  these 
people,  whether  acting  alone  or  in  groups,  may  engage. 
There  are  four  of  them  which  Dr.  Kilpatrick  describes. 
I  shall  see  if  I  can  think  of  illustrations  of  each  as  I  give 
them.  ^       _    ^^^^ 

The  first  kind  of  a  project  is  one  that  deals  with  creating 
tangible,  physical  things.  Both  of  the  projects  presented 
in  the  above  illustrations  were  of  this  sort.  We  could  see 
the  "cab;"  we  could  see  the  "prairie  schooner."  There 
may  be  other  forms  besides  those  which  are  presented  in 
wood.  Mr.  ]\Ioore  publishes  a  little  paper  which  he  dis- 
tributes among  the  children  each  month.  For  him  that 
paper  is  a  project  of  this  first  sort.  I  told  you  that  my 
children  were  preparing  a  Christmas  box  for  Mr.  Moore. 
That  was  a  group  project  for  them.  It  took  the  form  of 
chicken,  duck,  preserves,  chowchow,  etc.  A  few  days 
before  Christmas  we  gave  a  little  entertainment  at  the 
schoolhouse  one  evening.  The  people  saw  us  perform.  They 
looked  at  the  materials  that  we  had  made  for  their  pleasure. 
The  whole  program  was  for  us  a  group  project.  You  can 
see,  of  course,  that  there  were  many  individual  projects 
necessary  for  the  group  project  to  be  realized.  Each 
child  had  made  several  presents  for  members  of  his  family. 
Each  of  those  little  presents  constituted  an  individual 
project  for  the  child.  The  sum  total  of  all  of  these  little 
projects  constituted  a  group  project  for  the  school. 

Successful  T. — 10 


142  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RUKAL     SCHOOLS 

The  second  kind  of  a  project  is  one  which  places  the 
emphasis  upon  enjoyment  of  a  quiet,  intellectual,  spiritual, 
aesthetic  nature.  During  the  week  before  Christmas,  the 
children  and  I  decided  that  we  would  use  our  morning 
exercises  to  enjoy  things  relating  to  Christmas.  One 
morning  it  was  snowing.  The  snow  was  faUing  gently — • 
not  blowing  as  it  usually  does — and  it  was  "lovely  Christ- 
mas weather,"  the  children  said.  We  decided  that  would 
be  a  good  time  to  read  "A  Visit  from  St.  Nicholas."  We 
lived  every  scene  of  it. 

On  another  morning,  the  sun  was  shining  beautifully. 
The  atmosphere  was  calm.  There  was  a  quietude  and  a 
solemn  grandeur  about  the  morning  that  gave  one  the 
spirit  of  worshipfulness.  We  decided  that  would  be  a  good 
time  to  study  about  the  Christ  child.  One  of  the  children 
read  from  the  Bible  the  story  of  the  wise  men  who  watched 
by  night  and  who  saw  the  star  of  Bethlehem.  You  recall 
how  they  went  and  paid  homage  and  gave  their  gifts  to 
the  little  Savior  as  he  was  cared  for  in  the  manger.  After 
the  story  had  been  read,  we  then  studied  that  picture — 
"Jesus  is  Worshipped  by  the  Three  Wise  Men."  We 
then  took  our  graphophone  and  put  on  the  record  of 
"O  Little  Town  of  Bethlehem."  We,  ourselves,  felt 
that  we  had  been  to  see  the  little  Master.  It  was  such 
an  impressive  little  religious  service.  We  had  enjoyed 
the  story — told  so  simply  and  directly.  We  had  found 
pleasure  in  the  picture.  We  discovered  a  sweetness 
and  a  meaning  in  the  song  that  we  had  never  found 
before.  These,  Hilda,  are  illustrations  of  a  group  pro- 
ject of  the  second  sort — where  appreciation  is  the  end 
desired. 


THE     PROJECT     METHOD  143 

The  way  I  happened  to  think  of  suggesting  this  series 
of  morning  exercises  came  about  this  way.  After  Hsten- 
ing  to  Mr.  Ransom's  talk  on  Picture  Study,  about  which  I 
wrote  you  sometime  ago,  I  decided  to  do  some  study  of 
my  own.  One  night  as  I  looked  over  some  pictures  that  I 
had  secured,  I  came  upon  this  one  that  I  have  just  men- 
tioned. I  found  myself  enthralled  by  it.  I  had  seen  it 
many  times  before  but  it  had  never  made  such  an  appeal. 
My  personal  study  of  it  for  my  pleasure  is  an  illustration 
of  a  project  of  the  second  sort  that  was  carried  on  by 
one  individual.  i^  yn^^ 

The  third  kind  of  project  is  an  intellectual  tangle,  a 
cross-roads  difficulty,  a  situation  where  you  say  to  your- 
self— "Is  this  the  way  or  is  that  the  way?"  Every  in- 
telligent, independent  citizen  has  this  type  of  a  project 
before  him  every  time  he  comes  to  vote.  He  must  weigh 
values  and  measure  men.  He  must  determine  his  goals, 
judge  his  materials,  and  draw  his  conclusions.  The  nation, 
taken  as  a  whole,  has  such  a  project  to  work  out  when  it 
selects  a  president  and  a  Congress. 

This  kind  of  project  may  be  thought  of  as  an  intellectual 
problem.  You  can  see  then,  Hilda,  that  this  kind  of  pro- 
ject might  be  a  very  small  one  that  would  occupy  a  very 
little  space  of  time  such  as  solving  a  problem  in  arithmetic, 
an  equation  in  algebra,  or  an  original  in  geometry.  It 
might  be  to  pick  out  the  verbs  in  a  certain  passage,  or 
decide  what  was  the  correct  form  of  a  written  letter  of 
the  alphabet,  or  to  select  the  best  of  a  series  of  twenty 
compositions.  It  might  also  be  something  so  large  as 
setting  up  a  new  form  of  government,  as  Russia  is  now 
undertaking  to  do. 


144     SUCCESSFUL  TEACHING  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS 

The  fourth  kind  of  project  has  to  do  with  the  acquisition 
of  skills,  the  formation  of  habits. 

Roy  Werth  has  had  a  great  deal  of  difficulty  with  his 
penmanship.  The  last  time  Mr.  Moore  visited  us  he  chal- 
lenged Roy  to  a  contest  to  see  who  could  improve  more  in 
penmanship  during  the  year — he  or  Roy.  Roy  is  now 
working  to  the  limit  of  his  capacity.  He  has  the  penman- 
ship scale  on  the  wall  of  the  schoolroom  close  beside  him. 
Every  day  after  a  period  of  practice,  he  takes  his  best 
sample  to  the  scale  and  sees  if  it  is  any  better  than  the 
sample  with  which  he  is  comparing  it.  The  acquisition  of 
skill  in  penmanship  is  his  individual  project. 

We  have  a  very  fine  illustration  of  a  group  project  of 
this  type  in  our  American  boys  who  were  training  to  go  to 
the  World  War.  There  were  four  milhon  of  them  who 
were  drilling  every  day  to  get  in  shape  for  the  conflict. 
Certain  skills  had  to  be  acquired,  certain  habits  had  to 
be  formed.  Each  soldier  had,  as  his  individual  project,  to 
bring  himself  up  to  the  standard.  They,  all  together,  had 
a  group  project  to  make  of  the  army  a  trained  body  of 
men  that  could  be  relied  upon  to  respond  to  certain  stand- 
ardized situations  by  certain  standardized  responses. 

This,  Hilda,  is  the  gist,  as  I  see  it,  of  the  new  philosophy 
that  is  animating  education,  and  of  the  Project  Method 
of  Teaching  which  is  proposed  as  a  way  of  transforming 
the  philosophy  into  classroom  practice  and  custom. 

I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  that  neither  of  these  is 
entirely  new.  They  are  old  ideas  presented  in  a  new  light, 
with  different  clothes.  Human  nature  is  very  nearly  the 
same  as  it  was  when  man  was  a  naked  creature  in  the 
jungle.    But  as  man  has  developed  institutions,  he  has 


THE    PROJECT    METHOD  I45 

redirected  his  original  nature  somewhat  to  suit  the  in- 
stitutions which  he  has  found  wise.  In  the  early  days, 
government  was  an  autocracy  of  brute  force.  Now,  we 
are  all  thinking  in  terms  of  democracy,  equality  of  oppor- 
tunity. Even  after  we  were  organized  as  governments, 
we  controlled  people  with  forces  outside  of  themselves. 
If  we  are  to  have  a  real  democracy,  though,  we  must  have 
people  control  themselves  chiefly  by  the  forces  within 
themselves. 

I  spoke  just  now  of  our  nation's  training  four  million 
soldiers  to  fight  the  battles  of  civilization.  With  a  real 
democracy,  our  nation  must  train  not  four  million  sol- 
diers, but  it  must  train  every  individual  in  the  nation. 
All  of  the  individuals  in  all  of  the  nations  must  be  soldiers 
if  we  are  to  have  a  true  world  democracy.  They  will  not 
be  soldiers  who  are  trained  to  respond  to  certain  standard- 
ized military  situations  with  guns  and  other  agencies  of 
death,  but  soldiers  who  are  educated  to  respond  to  social 
situations  with  noble  purposes,  practical  ideas,  and  gen- 
erous democratic  deeds. 

If  we  are  going  to  have  such  a  citizen  soldiery  throughout 
the  world,  we  cannot  wait  until  the  crash  comes  to  train 
our  soldiers.  We  must  begin  generations  in  advance  to 
educate  them.  The  desirable  social  responses  must  be 
habituated.  This  cannot  be  done  without  iong  practice. 
The  time  to  create  and  habituate  those  desirable  social, 
democratic  responses  is  when  the  children  are  young  and 
plastic.  If  the  Project  Method  will  help  us,  then,  let's 
use  it  for  all  it  is  worth. 

I  do  not  take  it  that  the  "great  philosopher,"  the  "great 
teacher"  or  the  "Lesser  Lights"  would  have  us  change 


146  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

all  of  our  classroom  procedure  in  a  day.  Educational 
chaos  might  result,  I  take  it  that  they  would  have  us 
think  over  the  desirable  goals  in  education,  use  so  much 
of  the  children's  initiative  as  is  wise,  develop  in  them  judg- 
ment, cooperation,  self-reliance,  and  the  spirit  of  fair 
play;  make  use  of  the  situations  that  arise  daily  in  our 
schoolrooms  and  our  communities  to  develop  the  catholic 
spirit  of  tolerance,  helpfulness  and  enthusiastic  effort; 
invest  every  native  resource  to  the  limit  of  its  wise  ex- 
penditure. 

If  this  is  the  aim,  then,  I  would  like  to  be  one  of  the 
*'tiny  little  satellites"  of  the  philosophy  of  "Democracy 
and  Education"  and  the  pedagogy  of  the  Project  Method. 

In  Democratic  mood  and  Project  Method  humor,  I  am 

Your 

Martha 

HILDA'S   MEDITATIONS 

1.  Martha  speaks  of  a  new  method,  "The  Project  Method"  and 
the  new  philosophy  upon  which  it  is  based.  What  is  a  method, 
pedagogically  speaking?  What  is  a  philosophy?  Educational 
philosophy? 

2.  She  seems  to  think  that  what  Kilpatrick  and  Dewey  say  is 
particularly  abstract  and  difficult.  Would  not  a  recipe  for  making 
a  cake  seem  difficult  and  abstract  to  someone  who  had  never  seen 
the  materials  with  which  the  recipe  dealt?  What  makes  an  idea 
abstract  and  difficult  to  us?  How  was  it,  that  after  a  number  of 
readings,  the  sense  of  what  Martha  read  began  to  dawn  upon  her? 
Does  intellectual  darkness,  like  the  darkness  of  night,  disappear 
gradually? 

3.  I  wonder  what  that  "creed"  can  be?  Why  did  Dewey  call 
it  a  creed?    I  wonder  if  teachers  could  take  that  as  the  guide  of 


THE     PROJECT    METHOD  147 

pedagogical  conduct  as  church  members  sometimes  take  their 
church  creeds  as  a  guide  to  their  spiritual  conduct?  What  is 
necessary  for  one  to  do  in  order  that  his  creed  may  be  worth 
anything? 

4.  Martha  is  disposed  to  joke  us  teachers  about  the  kind  of 
books  we  read.  What  kind  of  books  should  teachers  read?  What 
are  the  advantages  of  short  books?  Of  long  books?  Of  light  books? 
Of  abstract  books? 

5.  What  are  the  objections  to  marking  books?  What  are  the 
arguments  in  favor  of  marking  them? 

6.  I  judge  from  Martha's  summary  of  Dewey's  book,  "Democ- 
racy and  Education"  that  she  has  read  it  a  number  of  times. 
Was  that  a  good  way  to  read  a  book  which  requires  serious  thought? 
It  seems  that  Dewey  thinks  that  our  schools  are  rather  autocratic. 
Is  it  true  that  we  are  educated,  changed,  only  by  means  of  expe- 
rience? What  is  necessary  to  constitute  an  experience?  How  could 
the  schools  be  changed  to  give  more  educative  experiences?  Could 
the  school  approximate  life  stituations  so  that  a  child  might  act 
in  school  just  as  he  would  in  life  and  yet  not  destroy  the  efficiency 
of  the  school?  Which  would  have  to  change  most — the  school  or 
the  public — in  order  to  make  such  a  school  possible?  Would  the 
teachers  need  to  be  less  efficient  to  make  such  a  school  pos- 
sible? What  would  be  the  character  of  the  discipline  in  such  a 
school? 

7.  "A  whole-hearted  purposeful  activity  carried  on  amid  social 
surroundings,"  then,  is  what  is  meant  by  "The  Project  Method." 
It  may  be  carried  on  by  one  or  by  one  million  or  by  all  of  the  people 
of  the  earth  if  they  will  consciously  cooperate  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  one  and  the  same  purpose.  What  are  the  types  of  projects? 
How  many  are  there,  according  to  Kilpatrick?  Might  some  pro- 
ject partake  of  the  nature  of  one  or  more  of  them,  according  to  the 
aspect  which  one  might  be  considering? 

8.  What  is  the  definite  contribution  which  the  project  idea 
makes  to  our  pedagogical  thought  and  procedure?  What  are  the 
steps  or  stages  through  which  the  project  passes?  Might  there  be 
any  other  stages  not  mentioned  here? 


148        successful   teaching  in   rural   schools 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Democracy  and  Education — Dewey. 

The  Elementary  School  Curriculum — Bonser.    Chapters  VI,  VII. 

Our  Public  Schools — Corson.    Chapter  V. 

Dangers  and  Difficulties  of  the  Project  Method  and  How  to 
Overcome  Them — A  Symposium — William  H.  Kilpatrick  and 
others.     Teachers  College  Record,  September,  1921. 

The  Project  Method — William  Heard  Kilpatrick.  Teachers  Col- 
lege Bulletin,  October  12, 1918. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

MARTHA    MAKES     DISCOVERIES     ABOUT    IMPROVEMENTS     IN 
ARITHMETIC 

January  22 
Dear  Hilda: 

As  a  child  I  used  to  think  that  arithmetic  was  the  dullest, 
hardest,  most  meaningless  subject  in  the  school.  There 
was  never  anything  to  do  but  just  grind  and  grind.  During 
the  past  month  I  have  learned  that  there  are  ways  to  make 
children  love  what  I  hated.  To  my  childish  mind  there  was 
sense  only  in  problems  which  dealt  with  things — hogs, 
sheep,  cattle,  at  so  much  per  head,  cloth  at  so  much  per 
yard,  dresses  with  so  many  yards  per  dress,  etc.  In  other 
words,  I  had  a  mind  for  concrete  things.  I  never  cared  for 
abstract,  nameless  numbers  whether  it  be  one  or  a  million. 
While  I  think  there  was  something  sensible  and  fortunate 
in  my  attitude,  still  it  was  unfortunate  also,  for  one  needs 
to  have  a  mastery  of  nameless  numbers  before  he  can  be 
very  successful  with  numbers  in  application  to  concrete 
facts.  I  always  had  difficulty  with  my  addition  and  sub- 
traction combinations  and  with  my  multiplication  and 
di\ision  tables.  I  could  always  use  reason,  but  reason 
is  a  slow  and  expensive  process  when  it  is  applied  to 
things  which  we  should  know  instantly.  Much  of  our 
work  with  numbers  needs  to  be  unreasoned,  mechanical, 
instantaneous.  We  need  to  do  it  as  we  write — without 
thinking. 

149 


150  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

I  do  not  think  at  all  of  the  form  of  these  letters  or  how 
I  make  them  as  I  write  to  you.  I  merely  think  of  the 
thoughts  that  I  want  to  express  to  you  and  my  hand  does 
the  rest.  So,  in  matters  mathematical,  our  brain  should  be 
set  free  as  much  as  possible,  to  do  the  things  that  demand 
thought.  In  order  to  do  this,  the  simple  processes  of  ad- 
dition, subtraction,  multiplication,  and  division  must  be 
mastered  so  thoroughly  that  one  does  not  have  to  think  of 
them,  when  they  are  used,  any  more  than  I  have  to  think 
of  the  form  of  these  letters  of  the  alphabet  as  I  write 
them.  The  mind  must  deal  with  them  just  as  a  machine 
would.  It  must  act  automatically.  For  the  mind  to  get 
where  it  will  deal  with  these  numbers  in  that  way,  much 
practice,  drill,  and  repetition  is  necessary. 

When  I  was  a  child,  the  greater  part  of  attention  to  these 
so-called  fundamental  processes  was  given  to  the  multipli- 
cation tables.  These  we  learned  in  logical  order,  just  as  they 
came.  We  sang  them  sometimes  but  we  usually  said  them 
in  a  sing-song  fashion.  We  learned  them  as  we  used  to 
learn  the  alphabet — we  could  say  the  letters  but  we  did  not 
know  them.  So  we  could  say  the  tables  but  we  did  not  know 
them  when  taken  out  of  their  regular  order.  We  used  to 
think  that  repetition  meant  practice;  we  were  told  that 
"practice  makes  perfect."  We  have  now  learned  that 
mere  repetition  is  not  practice,  in  the  best  sense  of  that 
word,  but  that  real  practice  means  attention  to  a  thing 
while  we  repeat  it.  It  is  this  sort  of  practice  that  makes 
perfect.  Any  other  sort  of  repetition  "makes  imperfect." 
You  can  see,  then,  that  the  big  problem  for  the  teacher, 
when  teaching  anything  where  habit  formation  is  desired, 
is  to  so  plan  for  the  repetition  of  the  thing  or  process  to  be 


IMPROVEMENTS    IN    ARITHMETIC  15I 

learned  that  the  child  will  always  have  to  give  close  atten- 
tion until  the  desired  habit  is  firmly  fixed. 

In  my  work  this  month  I  have  been  trying  to  increase 
the  speed  and  accuracy  with  which  my  children  add,  sub- 
tract, multiply,  and  divide.  According  to  the  Standard 
Tests  which  Mr.  Moore  gave  last  September  my  sixth  grade, 
on  the  average,  did  the  following  number  of  problems  in  each 
of  these  processes:  Additions  17,  subtractions  16,  multi- 
plications II,  divisions  14,  fractions  2.  They  should  have 
been  able  to  do  42,  29,  29,  37,  13,  respectively. 

You  can  see  from  these  figures  that  they  were  not  going 
half  as  rapidly  as  they  should  have  gone.  My  task  then  has 
been  to  increase  their  speed,  but  in  this,  as  in  silent  reading, 
speed  is  no  good  without  accuracy.  My  problem,  then,  has 
been  to  get  them  to  work  rapidly  and  at  the  same  time  to 
think  of  what  they  were  doing.  To  accomplish  this,  I  have 
used  every  device  of  which  I  could  learn  that  seemed  sane. 
I  have  read  three  books  on  the  teaching  of  arithmetic.  I 
have  ransacked  the  files  of  my  educational  magazines  to 
secure  devices.  I  have  made  a  number  of  devices  of  my 
own.  Some  of  the  things  that  I  have  done  in  order  to  stim- 
ulate the  speed  of  the  children  in  the  fundamental  proc- 
esses are  as  follows : 

I .  I  have  a  large  number  chart  which  has  full  pages  of 
simple  combinations:  some  pages  devoted  exclusively  to 
addition,  some  to  subtraction,  some  to  multiplication,  some 
to  division,  and  some  to  various  combinations  of  two  or 
more  of  the  operations.  I  have  used  this  chart  a  great  deal. 
We  have  had  races  among  the  children,  and  between  them 
and  myself,  to  see  who  could  do  a  certain  number  of  them 
in  the  briefest  time  and  with  the  fewest  errors.    Their 


152  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

joy  was  unconfined  when  they  were  able  to  surpass  me. 
My  aim  was  to  stimulate  every  child  so  that  he  would  be 
my  very  close  rival. 

2.  I  have  had  certain  standardized  practice  tests  upon 
which  the  children  have  practiced,  and  have  kept  a  record 
of  their  work.  Each  child  has  had  a  piece  of  cross-section 
paper  on  which  he  has  kept  his  record  and  has  from  day 
to  day  made  his  practice  curve.  This  device  has  been  one 
of  the  most  stimulating,  for  each  child  has  been  racing  with 
himself  and  trying  to  surpass  his  own  record.  To  see  his 
practice  curve  rise  from  day  to  day  has  been  his  greatest 
delight. 

3.  From  time  to  time,  I  have  made  a  little  imitation 
Woody-McCall  number  test.  It  contains  problems  of  all 
four  operations  and  of  increasing  difficulty  in  each  opera- 
tion. I  have  had  the  children  take  the  pasteboard  card  on 
which  I  had  this  written  and  see  how  long  it  took  them  to 
give  the  answers  to  the  examples.  This  has  revealed  to  me 
and  to  them  just  where  their  difficulties  lay.  When  they 
were  discovered,  we  then  went  to  work  to  correct  the 
defects. 

4.  Besides  these  more  carefully  organized  and  purpose- 
ful devices,  we  have  used  a  large  number  of  games  that  we 
found  in  some  of  the  books  dealing  with  number  games. 
Some  of  them  were:  "Around  the  Circle" — "Backgam- 
mon"—"Buzz"— "A  Number  of  Blackboard  Relays"— 
"Cross  Questions"— "Climb  the  Ladder"— "Nimble 
Squirrel" — "Ring  Toss" — "Roll  the  Hoop,"  and  many 
others. 

The  results  have  been  little  short  of  astonishing  to  me. 
When  Mr.  Moore  was  at  my  school  to-day,  he  gave  a  practice 


IMPROVEMENTS    IN     ARITHMETIC  153 

test  in  the  same  processes  that  were  tested  last  September, 
and  the  sixth  grade  had  the  following  average :  Additions 
7,7,,  subtractions  22,  multiplications  28,  divisions  24,  frac- 
tions 10. 

You  see  from  this  that  a  marvelous  change  has  been  made 
since  September,  and  the  greater  part  of  that  change  has 
been  made  in  the  past  four  weeks.  Conscious  attention  on 
the  part  of  both  the  children  and  myself  to  the  thing  to  be 
done,  with  an  effort  to  improve  the  rate,  wrought  the 
change. 

One  of  the  biggest  factors  in  the  improvement  which  the 
children  have  made  is  the  fact  that  they  knew  what  their  rate 
was  and  also  knew  what  it  should  he.  After  the  children  found 
out  yesterday  how  they  now  stand,  they  snapped  their 
eyes,  pounded  one  fist  in  the  palm  of  the  other  hand, 
stamped  their  feet  and  said:  ''We  can  do  it.  Sure  we  can 
do  it!  When  you  come  next  time,  Mr.  Moore,  we'll  be 
standard." 

You  should  see  those  children  work  on  this.  They  would 
rather  have  an  arithmetic  race  than  a  foot  race.  They 
want  to  take  the  morning  exercise  period,  the  recesses,  noon, 
and  after  school  to  practice  on  arithmetic.  Could  you 
imagine  us,  when  we  were  children,  preferring  to  do 
arithmetic  to  playing  out-door  games?  The  only  difference 
between  our  situation  and  theirs  is  merely  a  matter  of 
suggestion. 

Now  that  I  see  how  to  use  a  Standard  iVrithmetic  Test  to 
a  good  purpose,  I  am  going  one  step  farther.  I  am  going  to 
get  the  Stone  Reasoning  Test  and  test  the  children  in 
reasoning.  One  needs  to  know  how  to  add,  subtract,  mul- 
tiply, and  divide,  automatically,  as  I  have  already  said; 


154  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

but  the  reason  he  wants  this  ability  is  that  he  may  be  able 
to  free  his  mind  for  more  important  work.  That  more  im- 
portant work  in  arithmetic  is — reasoning,  thinking.  Now 
that  the  children  have  seen  what  they  could  do  by  effort 
in  the  matter  of  improving  their  ability  in  the  fundamental 
operations,  I  am  certain  that  they  will  take  to  the  reasoning 
in  the  same  way. 

To  me  the  beauty  about  the  reasoning  work  is  that  it  is 
applied  to  real  situations — the  very  things  with  which  I 
am  most  familiar  and  with  which  I  have  always  been  most 
successful. 

Now,  please  don't  misunderstand  me.  When  I  say  rea- 
soning, I  do  not  mean  reasoning  about  some  arithmetical 
improbability  which  can  be  found  only  within  the  pages  of  a 
textbook.  I  shall  not  waste  my  time  and  that  of  the  children 
trying  to  solve: 

(i)  "Hare  and  hound,"  or  "watch"  problems; 

(2)  Problems  whose  answers  must  have  been  known  before  the 
problems  could  have  been  made; 

(3)  Problems  for  which  no  child  in  the  class  will  probably  ever 
have  need  and  if  he  does  he  will  learn  them  as  a  part  of  the  training 
for  this  trade; 

(4)  Problems  which  have,  for  their  only  purpose,  mental  gym- 
nastics. 

I  shall,  instead,  devote  my  attention  to  giving  the 
children  acquaintance  and  practice  with  the  practical 
things  around  them.  We  shall  solve  the  kinds  of  problems 
that  their  parents  have  to  solve,  the  kind  of  problems  which 
they  themselves  will  have  to  solve.  Many  of  these  problems 
will  be  found  in  textbooks  but  some  of  them  will  be  found 
in  the  community.  The  children,  their  parents,  and  I  will 
discover  them. 


IMPROVEMENTS    IN    ARITHMETIC  155 

These  children  have  now  been  exposed  to  some  worthy- 
goals.  They  have  been  shown  what  they  could  do,  what 
they  should  do,  and  have  been  challenged  in  an  appropriate 
way  to  do  it.  I  tell  you  that  everyone  likes  to  work  if  he 
feels  that  by  his  work  he  is  going  to  get  somewhere.  It 
is  a  part  of  our  personal  vanity  and  instinct  for  mastery. 
There  are  plenty  of  big  problems  in  the  world  and  plenty 
of  heroic  people  to  tackle  them  and  solve  them.  Our  trouble 
is  that  we  are  lacking  in  ''humanity  and  problem  manip- 
ulators." We  must  have  more  people  who  have  the  ability 
to  move  the  right  person  around  in  front  of  the  right  prob- 
lem and  then  dare  him  to  solve  it.  That  is  the  job  for  the 
teachers,  Hilda.  That  is  your  job  and  mine,  and  the  job  of 
every  other  person  whom  the  state  has  licensed  to  go  out 
and  brood  over  a  little  flock  of  humanity.  We  must  do 
more  "brewing"  of  humanity  and  less  brooding  over 
humanity  and  over  our  troubles  with  humanity. 

Uncle  Sam  is  doing  much  now  in  the  way  of  supervising. 
He  is  supervising  farming  and  cooking.  Through  the 
health  work,  he  is  even  supervising  our  bathing  and  our 
breathing  and  all  sorts  of  other  things,  but  I  am  sure  that 
Uncle  Sam  is  wise  enough  to  know  that  it  is  not  what  his 
supervisors  themselves  do,  but  what  they  get  all  of  the 
people  to  do,  that  really  counts.  They  must  "brew"  the 
idea  and  get  it  to  working  in  humanity. 

If  we  just  had  good  standardized  measures  of  all  of  our 
achievements  as  those  children  had  for  their  work  in  arith- 
metic, wouldn't  it  be  a  great  service?  So  much  of  our  con- 
duct and  our  effort  are  measurable  only  by  opinion.  That 
is  better  than  no  measure  at  all,  but  it  is  too  variable. 
It  is  affected  too  much  by  circumstances,  tradition,  and 


156  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

geography.  Well,  let  us  not  worry  over  what  we  do  not 
have  but  rather  let  us  use  to  the  limit  the  agencies  for  im- 
provement that  we  do  have.  They  are  numerous  and  good. 
May  we  make  the  most  of  them  and  improve  our  speed  and 
accuracy  in  all  of  the  virtues  with  which  we  have  been 
endowed. 

In  scientific  and  philosophic  mood,  I  am, 

As  ever, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

1.  Martha  seems  to  be  quarreling  with  herself  because  of  her 
inability  to  use  nameless  or  abstract  numbers.  At  what  point  in 
her  education  must  the  teaching  have  been  most  defective?  When 
should  the  number  work  be  concrete?  When  nameless  or  abstract? 
What  different  mind  activities  are  needed  for  the  application  or 
manipulation  of  the  two  types  of  number  work?  To  what  extent 
should  ability  in  numbers  be  automatic?  Why  does  some  practice 
"make  perfect"  and  other  practice  "make  imperfect?" 

2.  I  wonder  if  improvement  in  skill  in  one  of  these  fundamental 
mathematical  processes  may  be  taken  as  a  "Project"  in  the  same 
sense  that  Kilpatrick  uses  that  word?  If  so,  to  which  class  of  pro- 
jects would  it  belong?  Could  not  one  individual  child,  one  school, 
or  the  entire  helping-teacher  district  have  that  for  a  project?  If 
this  is  true,  then  a  "Project"  is  not  after  all  such  a  difi&cult  or 
revolutionary  thing  in  our  school  work. 

3.  The  children  in  Martha's  school  knew  where  they  were  and 
where  they  should  have  been  in  the  fundamental  processes  of 
arithmetic.  To  what  extent  did  each  help?  If  one  of  these  had  to  be 
unknown,  which  should  it  be?  Why?  What  is  the  place  of  stand- 
ardized tests  in  this  situation?  Without  standardized  tests,  what 
motives  must  be  most  used  to  stimulate  growth  in  the  children? 
With  them  what  motives  may  be  used  that  could  not  be  made  use 
of  so  well  without  them?  Martha  refers  to  the  Stone  Reasoning 
Test.    How  does  it  differ  from  the  Cleveland  Survey  Test? 


1 


IMPROVEMENTS    IN    ARITHMETIC  1 57 

4.  Martha  seems  to  have  had  quite  a  good  deal  of  play  in  con- 
nection with  her  work  in  arithmetic.  To  what  extent  is  play 
justifiable?  When  does  it  become  unwise?  Should  the  teacher  al- 
ways direct  the  game?  Where  may  I  find  a  description  of  those 
games  which  she  mentions? 

5.  What  does  ]\Iartha  mean  by  "humanity  and  problem  manip- 
ulators?" Would  such  a  person  difTer  from  a  "humanity  manip- 
ulator?" "A  problem  manipulator?"  Can  teachers  with  their 
present  limited  experience  and  training  serve  effectively  in  the 
capacity  of  "humanity  and  problem  manipulators?"  What  training 
would  better  equip  them  to  do  this  service?  Should  a  teacher  try 
to  render  this  service  to  any  except  her  own  pupils? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  i\NSWER 
Her  Questions: 

Measuring  the  Results  of  Teaching — IMonroe.   Chapters  V,  VI,  IX. 
Number  Games  and  Rhymes — Teachers  College  Record,  November, 

1912. 
Teaching  through  the  Use  of  Projects — Teachers  College  Record, 

March,  1920. 
The  Science  and  the  Art  of  Teaching — LaRue.     Chapter  XIX. 


Successful  1. — II 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE    CHILDREN    STUDY    GEOGRAPHY    FROM    THE    ANGLE    OF 
THEIR    OWN   HOMES 

January  29 
Dear  Hilda: 

My  heart  sank  within  me  when  the  club  president  read 
my  name  as  one  of  those  who  was  to  make  a  special  study 
of  geography  and  report  upon  it  to  the  club. 

Miss  Bogard,  Miss  St.  John  and  I  constituted  the 
committee.  Geographical  location  of  the  teachers  in  the 
zone  was  the  dominant  element  in  the  selection  of  all  these 
committees.  The  president  wisely  took  it  for  granted  that 
we  were  all  ignorant  about  everything  and  could  therefore 
work  on  one  committee  just  as  well  as  on  another,  and  could 
profit  from  the  study  by  so  doing.  Those  of  us  who  were 
on  this  committee  were  all  located  on  the  same  township 
line,  with  only  seven  miles  separating  Miss  Bogard  and 
me  and  with  Miss  St.  John  between  us.  You  can  see, 
Hilda,  even  in  this  simple  illustration  that  geographical 
location  is  one  of  the  first  factors  that  determines  who  our 
neighbors  are  and  should  be. 

This  fact — our  location — suggested  to  us  the  point  of 
view  that  has  guided  us  in  our  study.  At  our  first  com- 
mittee meeting,  we  decided  that  we  should  try  to  study  all 
of  our  geography  in  terms  of  its  relation  to  us  right  here  in 
Gem  County.  Of  course,  we  have  sometimes  gone  far 
afield,  but  in  the  main  we  have  started  with  what  we  have, 

158 


THE    CHILDREN     STUDY    GEOGRAPHY  159 

what  we  know,  what  we  need,  what  we  can  supply,  what 
we  are  like,  etc.,  and  have  from  this  studied  what  others 
have,  know,  need,  can  supply  and  are  hke. 

It  so  happens  that  I  have  in  my  school  more  young 
children  than  I  have  older  ones.  Miss  Bogard  has  children 
who  are  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  grades,  chiefly.  Miss  St. 
John  has  a  number  of  children  in  the  seventh  and  eighth 
grades. 

For  these  reasons,  it  was  agreed  that  I  should  devote  my- 
self chiefly  to  the  lower-grade  work.  Miss  Bogard  to  the 
middle  grades,  and  Miss  St.  John  to  the  upper  grades. 

With  this  agreed  upon,  I  went  to  work. 

How  people  live  seemed  to  be  the  one  question  that  had 
greatest  charm  for  the  children  below  the  fifth  grade.  We 
voted  that  we  would  find  out  what  we  could  on  that  subject. 

We  began  with  the  people  of  Gem  County.  We  found 
out  what  crops  they  produce  and  how  it  is  done;  what  sort 
of  houses  they  occupy,  how  they  are  heated.  We  found 
out  what  our  people  here  have  to  buy.  For  our  industrial 
work  period  we  constructed  from  wood,  cardboard,  dirt, 
grass,  and  such  other  things  as  we  needed  and  could  get,  an 
imitation  Gem  County  farm  and  farmstead.  It  was 
illuminating  to  see  what  the  children  did  put  into  that  little 
imitation  farm.  We  did  this  as  a  beginning  project  in 
geography.  When  we  were  through  with  it,  we  were  then 
ready  to  ask  how  other  people  live. 

We  started  by  finding  out  what  things  we  have  to  buy 
from  other  people  in  our  own  country.  We  found  that 
we  have  to  buy  chiefly  cotton,  sugar,  fish,  fruits,  coal,  steel, 
and  iron,  most  of  which  comes  to  us  in  the  form  of  manu- 
factured products. 


l6o  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

We  decided  that  it  would  take  us  too  long  to  study  all  of 
these  so  it  was  agreed  after  some  discussion  that  we  would 
study  a  sugar  plantation,  a  fishing  community,  a  mining 
community,  and  a  manufacturing  community,  to  see  how 
the  people  there  live — what  things  they  produce — what 
things  they  have  to  buy — in  what  sort  of  houses  they  live, 
and  how  their  life  differs  from  our  own. 

We  took  a  Louisiana  plantation,  a  Washington  fishing 
community,  a  Pennsylvania  mining  community,  and  a 
Michigan  manufacturing  community.  We  studied  the 
industrial  surroundings  as  seen  from  the  homes  of  each 
community.  It  was  the  home  in  which  we  were  primarily 
interested.  We  studied  the  industries  simply  as  they  were 
related  to  the  home.  We  indicated  our  fields,  barns,  mines, 
factories,  boathouses,  etc.,  whatever  belonged  to  the 
community,  but  the  homes  we  reproduced  as  accurately  as 
possible. 

In  order  to  be  able  to  do  this,  it  was  necessary  to  do  much 
reading.  We  wrote  to  those  communities  and  got  all  of  the 
information  we  could  get  about  the  life  of  the  people  there. 
From  the  Industrial  Departments  of  the  state  goverrmients 
we  were  able  to  get  much  interesting  material  beautifully 
illustrated.  We  found  a  number  of  good  books  which 
described  in  a  very  readable  and  vivid  fashion  the  facts 
that  we  wanted  to  know.  Were  you  to  go  into  our  coal  shed 
now,  you  would  be  able  to  see  displayed  on  a  shelf,  especially 
made  for  the  purpose,  all  of  those  representative  homes  and 
modes  of  making  a  hvelihood  of  the  American  people 
that  we  have  studied  thus  far  this  year. 

Having  studied  the  lives  of  our  own  people,  we  were  then 
ready  to  find  out  how  people  live  in  other  lands.   Already 


THE     CHILDREN     STUDY     GEOGRAPHY  l6l 

you  have  guessed  what  we  did  and  are  now  doing.  Yes,  you 
are  right,  we  are  reading,  living,  reproducing  "The  Seven 
Little  Sisters."  With  the  background  that  we  have,  we  are 
fairly  sizzling  with  enthusiasm  over  the  work  that  we  are 
now  doing. 

For  my  part  of  the  report  of  our  committee,  which  made 
its  report  at  the  meeting  on  the  2 2d,  I  took  five  of  my 
children  and  the  five  houses  which  they  had  built  to 
represent  the  homes  of  the  people  in  five  different  sections 
of  America.  Each  child  told  what  we  had  done,  and  ex- 
plained in  detail  the  house  for  which  he  was  responsible. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  children,  people,  and  teachers 
who  were  present  enjoyed  their  reports  far  more  than  they 
would  have  my  own. 

Miss  Bogard  was  the  second  to  report.  Miss  Bogard  is  a 
very  businesslike,  exact  sort  of  a  person.  She  is  great  at 
getting  at  the  facts  and  in  presenting  them  in  the  shortest 
way  possible.  When  the  club  president  called  on  her,  she 
went  straight  to  the  mark  with  no  preliminary  compli- 
ments, excuses,  or  other  circumlocution  commonly  known 
as  "palaver." 

"There  are  but  a  few  fundamental  geographical  facts," 
she  said.  "These  facts  must  be  learned,  understood,  and 
often  applied  by  the  children  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  grades. 
These  fundamental  facts  are:  climate,  latitude,  elevation, 
character  of  the  soil,  winds,  mountains,  distance  from  nav- 
igable streams  and  sea  coast,  and  mineral  deposits. 

"There  are  some  secondary  geographical  facts  which 
must  be  learned,  understood,  and  apphed  These  are: 
the  character  of  the  people,  the  character  of  the  schools, 
churches,  and  government,  their  transportation  facilities, 


l62  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

their  location  with  reference  to  other  people,  and  the 
character  of  those  neighboring  peoples. 

"With  these  facts  learned  and  their  meaning  understood, 
it  is  possible  to  answer  practically  any  economic  or  social 
situation  now  existing,  that  has  existed,  or  may  exist 
hereafter. 

"We  learned  the  application  of  these  facts  to  our  own 
nation  first.   We  started  our  work  by  asking: 

"Why  is  the  Middle  West  the  nation's  bread  basket? 

"When  we  had  answered  that  question  we  had  discovered 
the  effect  of  heat,  latitude,  nature  of  the  soil,  rainfall, 
elevation,  climate.  The  children  became  very  much 
interested  in  the  scientific  facts  which  this  one  study  re 
vealed  to  them.  Soon  they  began  to  have  many  "why" 
questions  of  kindred  nature.  Some  of  those  that  were 
asked  and  which  the  class  has  tried  to  answer  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Why  is.sugar  grown  in  Louisiana? 

Why  is  cotton  grown  in  Texas? 

Why  are  mules  raised  in  Missouri? 

Why  are  grapefruit  and  oranges  grown  in  California  and  Florida? 

Why  are  apples  grown  in  Oregon  and  Washington? 

Why  is  New  England  a  manufacturing  section? 

Why  is  Michigan  the  automobile  center? 

"When  we  had  answered  those  questions,  we  had  learned 
to  apply  not  only  those  principles  that  I  termed  funda- 
mental geographic  influences,  but  we  had  learned  to  apply 
most  of  the  secondary  influences  also. 

"We  had  found  that  Missouri  raises  mules  because  of  its 
corn  and  pasture  lands  and  its  nearness  to  the  southern 
cotton  fields  which  will  make  use  of  the  mules.    We  had 


THE    CHILDREN     STUDY    GEOGRAPHY  163 

learned  that  New  England  is  a  manufacturing  section  be- 
cause of  its  nearness  to  markets  and  its  inability  to  compete 
with  the  farming  of  the  rest  of  the  country.  We  had  found 
that  Michigan  is  the  automobile  center  because  of  its 
nearness  to  the  coal,  iron  and  the  leather  needed  in  their 
manufacture  and  because  of  its  access  to  markets,  both  do- 
mestic and  foreign. 

"And  so,  with  these  few  facts  we  can  test  the  WHY  of 
I  practically  all  of  the  existing  situations — social  and  in- 
dustrial— which  we  now  have  in  this  nation  or  throughout 
the  world. 

"We  have  devoted  the  first  half  of  the  year  to  getting 

_these  facts  clearly  in  mind  with  reference  to  our  own  nation. 

We  are  just  now  ready  to  begin  the  study  of  the  rest  of  the 

world.    We  are  anxious  to  apply  our  knowledge  to  a  few 

situations  that  exist  in  the  world,  such  as: 

Why  has  Japan  become  such  a  conspicuous  world  power  during 
the  past  generation? 

Why  have  China  and  Russia  failed  to  develop  so  rapidly  as  has 
Japan  within  the  past  two  decades? 

Why  has  England  been  such  a  large  power  in  the  affairs  of  the 
world? 

Why  was  Germany  able  to  defy  the  world  for  so  long  a  time 
during  the  World  War? 

"There  is  a  score  of  other  questions  of  kindred  nature  for 
which  we  desire  to  find  answers.  You  can  see,  friends,  that 
while  we  are  answering  these  very  live  questions,  we  shall 
be  getting  a  great  amount  of  facts.  These  facts  are  or- 
dinarily very  dry  facts  that  are  partially  remembered  for 
one  recitation  and  then  forgotten,  because  they  are  learned 
merely  as  facts.  When,  though,  they  are  learned  in  con- 
nection with  one  of  these  questions,  they  are  never  forgotten 


164  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

because  they  have  meaning  to  the  individual  who  learns 
them.  We  try  to  keep  before  us  all  of  the  time  some  con- 
crete problem  for  solution  that  is  of  interest  to  the  group. 
I  stimulate  and  guide  the  children  in  the  choice  of  their 
problem,  but  I  always  try  to  develop  our  problems  out  of 
their  own  questions. 

"We  solve,  in  an  inductive  way,  a  few  questions.  Then 
we  compare  the  facts  in  the  cases  thus  studied  and  get  the 
principles  common  to  all.  We  then  apply  these  principles, 
deductively,  to  a  large  number  of  other  cases  until  the 
principles  are  firmly  fixed. 

"I  would  not  have  you  think  that  this  is  so  easy  as  it 
may  sound.  There  are  difficulties  but  they  are  such  that 
it  is  fun  to  overcome  them.  The  chief  difficulties,  as  I 
have  found  them,  are  of  the  following  kinds: 

"One:  To  get  the  children  to  do  independent  thinking  about 
real  problems.  They  have  been  accustomed  to  study  a  certain 
number  of  pages  in  a  book  for  a  lesson.  If  they  could  commit  to 
memory  the  facts  therein  presented  and  repeat  the  statements 
at  class,  they  felt  that  they  had  done  well.  That  is  not  the  kind 
of  work  that  I  have  been  doing.  I  have  been  teaching  them  to 
collect  data,  and  remember  facts  but  to  do  so  with  a  purpose,  that 
purpose  being  to  answer  some  question,  to  solve  some  problem.  It 
was  difficult  at  first  but  it  is  easy  now. 

"Two:  To  make  the  children  sufficiently  fomiliar  with  the  funda- 
mental and  secondary  geographical  fads  to  which  I  have  referred. 
The  children  must  come  to  know  those  facts  so  that  they  can  handle 
them  almost  as  automatically  as  they  do  the  fundamental  opera- 
tions in  arithmetic  on  which  we  have  been  working.  Confronted 
with  any  geographical  situation,  those  facts  with  which  to  inter- 
pret the  situation  should  instantly  come  to  their  minds. 

"Three:  The  third  difficulty  to  which  I  want  to  call  your  attention 
is  the  difficulty  oj  getting  children  to  make  use  of  reference  material. 


THE     CHILDREN     STUDY     GEOGRAPHY  165 

If  we  are  to  study  problems,  then  the  children  must  be  familiar 
with  sources  of  information  such  as  other  textbooks,  yearbooks, 
enclycopedia,  maps,  charts,  agricultural  and  census  reports, 
magazines,  newspapers,  and  the  like.  Tables  of  contents  and  indices 
to  books  must  come  to  have  a  real  fascination  for  them. 

"Four:  The  fourth  and  most  important  difficulty  that  I  have  had 
to  overcome  is  that  of  finding  suitable  problems  for  solution.  I  find 
that  if  I  select  the  problems  and  assign  them  to  the  children, 
they  do  not  always  take  root.  The  children  do  not  feel  that  the 
problems  are  their  own.  In  order  for  them  to  be  able  to  select 
fruitful  problems,  some  information  and  a  good  deal  of  interest  or 
even  curiosity  is  needed.  It  is  my  task  to  do  the  steering  so  that 
they  will  bump  into  some  good  problems.  I  do  much  of  this  by 
means  of  the  daily  paper  which  we  use  on  certain  days  for  our  morn- 
ing exercise  work.  After  we  bump  into  one  of  these  problems,  we 
take  it  as  a  tentative  one  until  we  can  investigate  it  sufficiently  to 
decide  whether  or  not  we  desire  to  go  further  with  it.  Whenever  one 
of  the  questions  arises  about  which  we  would  like  to  know  more,  we 
put  it  down  on  our  "waiting  list."  We  now  have  quite  a  long  list 
of  questions  that  are  clamoring  for  answers. 

"These  are  the  four  difficulties  that  we  have  met.  We 
are  hoping  soon  to  be  able  to  quote  that  famous  state- 
ment: 'We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they  are  ours.' 
While  we  are  in  the  struggle^  we  are  having  fun — plenty  of 
it." 

When  she  was  through,  we  flooded  her  with  questions,  all 
of  which  she  answered  in  the  same  short,  businesslike  manner 
which  had  characterized  her  talk.  Miss  Bogard  was  con- 
vinced that  this  was  THE  WAY  to  teach  geography  be- 
cause she  said  "It  is  the  only  way  that  really  has  sense  to 
it,  and  besides,  there's  more  real  pleasure  in  it  when  done  in 
this  way." 

Her  discussion  was  especially  interesting  to  me  because 
her  way  of  teaching  geography  is  an  application  of  one  of  the 


l66  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

Project  Methods  that  I  discussed  in  my  letter  of  January 
15th.  You  see  all  of  her  work  was  done  to  answer  an 
intellectual  problem — which  Kilpatrick  calls  a  ''Problem 
Project." 

Miss  St.  John,  when  the  time  came  for  her  report,  said 
that  Edwin  Glau  would  speak  for  her  school.  Edwin  is  an 
eighth-grade  boy,  bright,  confident  and  with  an  unusual 
power  to  express  his  thoughts.  Edwin  said:  "During  the 
year  we  are  taking  for  our  work  in  geography,  the  task  of 
answering  two  questions.   They  are: 

What  nations  of  the  world  are  self-sustaining  and  why? 
What  nations  are  not  self-sustaining  and  why? 

"From  the  study  of  these  questions,  we  expect  to  get  a 
summarized  estimate  of  the  resources,  the  industries,  and 
the  people  of  all  of  the  nations  of  the  world.  We  are  doing 
this  to  give  us  a  good  economic  and  social  background  with 
which  to  enter  high  school  next  year. 

"I  shall  not  take  your  time,  though,  to  talk  about  the 
geography  of  the  world.  From  what  Miss  Proul  and  her 
children  and  Miss  Bogard  have  said,  I  think  the  other 
schools  of  the  zone  must  be  studying  geography  and  getting 
fun  out  of  it  just  as  we  are. 

"The  geography  that  I  want  to  present  for  our  school's 
part  in  this  discussion  is  the  geography  of  the  southwestern 
corner  of  Gem  County.  The  reason  we  have  decided  to 
discuss  this  subject  is  the  relation  that  it  bears  to  our  schools. 
You  may  think  that  what  I  say  belongs  to  civics  instead  of 
geography.  Maybe  it  does.  In  our  school  we  do  not  worry 
much  about  the  subject  under  which  a  thing  belongs  if  we 
are  interested  in  it.   We  do  it  in  whatever  period  it  is  con- 


THE    CHILDREN     STUDY     GEOGRAPHY  167 

venient  and  call  it  by  the  name  of  the  subject  written  on 
the  program  for  that  period.  The  subject  that  I  am  going 
to  talk  to  you  about  arose  and  has  been  discussed  in  our 
geography  period.   You  may  call  it  whatever  you  please. 

"  I  am  in  the  eighth  grade.  This  year  ends  my  work  in  the 
country  school.  Next  year  I  want  to  go  to  high  school. 
There  are  four  others  from  our  school  who  want  to  do  the 
same  thing.  That  means  that  we  shall  have  to  go  to 
Amberville  and  board.  It  means  that  we  shall  have  to  leave 
home.  It  may  mean  that  some  of  our  families  will  move  out 
of  the  country  and  move  into  town  to  live,  at  least  for  the 
winter. 

"That  is  what  has  happened  already  to  a  great  many 
folks  down  here.  There  are  more  empty  houses  in  this  end 
of  the  county  during  the  winter  time  than  there  are  houses 
with  people  in  them.  This  is  true  because  the  folks  have 
gone  to  town  to  send  their  children  to  high  school.  Some 
more  of  our  folks  will  have  to  go  if  we  cannot  get  a  high 
school  out  here  in  the  country  so  we  can  stay  at  home  and 
go  to  school. 

"Not  only  that,  but  I  have  something  else  to  say  before 
I  present  my  geography.  As  our  schools  now  are,  we  have 
a  pretty  hard  time  getting  much  education.  We  cannot  al- 
ways get  a  good  teacher  and  we  have  a  hard  time  keeping 
her  after  we  do  get  one.  We  have  a  good  one  this  year  but 
we  are  all  afraid  she  will  leave  us  next  year.  Mr.  Moore 
was  telling  us  just  the  other  night  that  of  the  fifteen 
teachers  in  the  zone,  there  were  only  two  who  taught  the 
same  school  last  year  that  they  are  teaching  this  year. 

"Furthermore,  so  long  as  our  schools  are  as  small  as  they 
now  are,  we  shall  have  little  old  shacks  of  houses  which  are 


i68 


SUCCESSFUL     TEACHING     IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 


not  fit  to  be  schoolhouses.    Just  look  at  our  school.    It  is 
the  same  house  that  my  grandfather  built  when  he  landed 


■■v..  "-^y  ^ '  w^y^i^^  jyy 


'  y^y^^ 


THE    ONE-ROOM    SCHOOLHOUSE 


here  fifty  years  ago.    Just  compare  it  with  any  residence 
in  the  district  and  you  will  see  how  much  our  schoolhouses 


AN    ATTRACTIVE    RESIDENCE    IN   THE    DISTRICT 

are  behind  our  residences.    I  think  if  either  should  be    j 
behind,  it  should  be  the  residence.  Fewer  children  would  be 
affected  by  it. 


THE     CHILDREN     STUDY     GEOGRAPHY  169 

"More  than  that,  with  our  schools  situated  as  they  are, 
too  much  of  the  helping-teacher's  time  is  spent  on  the  road 
going  from  school  to  school.  Mr.  Moore  spends  more  time 
by  far  on  the  road  than  he  does  in  the  schools.  This  is  a 
waste  of  time.  It  is  the  time  that  he  spends  in  the  schools 
that  counts. 

"I  see  that  you  all  know  already  what  I  am  going  to  say, 
and  you  are  right;  the  geography  class  of  the  school  which 
I  have  the  honor  to  attend,  known  as  GEM  No.  4,  is  for 
consolidation  of  schools.  We  do  not  want  it  for  just  our 
school,  but  we  believe  that  we  should  have  it  for  all  schools. 
It  is  not  fair  to  the  children,  the  teachers  or  the  taxpayers 
to  have  these  little  one-room  schools.  The  teachers  are 
worked  to  death  by  the  amount  that  they  have  to  do  and 
they  leave  just  as  soon  as  they  can.  I  don't  blame  them. 
The  children  cannot  get  the  inspiration  and  help  that 
they  need.  There  cannot  be  much  social  life  in  so  small  a 
school.  There  cannot  be  any  sort  of  clubs  for  the  boys  and 
girls  for  there  are  too  few  to  have  a  club.  With  these  little 
schools,  I  cannot  see  that  there  can  be  anything  but  more  of 
the  same  kind  of  thing  that  we  have  had,  unless  it  be 
something  worse." 

It  was  amusing  and  inspiring  to  hear  that  youngster  talk. 
It  was  no  speech  that  he  had  memorized.  It  was  something 
that  was  in  his  heart  and  he  had  the  facts  in  his  mind. 

"Now,  I  have  a  map  here,"  he  continued.  "This  map 
shows  how  the  schools  of  our  Demonstration  Helping- 
Teacher  Zone  and  those  that  are  located  right  near  it 
could  be  consolidated  into  four  schools  instead  of  twenty 
as  they  now  are. 


170 


SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 


"You  are  all  more  or  less  familiar  with  these  little  old 
buildings  that  we  have.  Here  are  four  of  them.  Anyone 
who  lives  in  this  end  of  Gem  County,  knows  our  wealth, 
sees  our  fine  houses,  barns,  and  so  forth,  must  feel 
ashamed  to  realize  that  these  are  our  schoolhouses. 

"If  we  could  displace  these  poor  buildings  with  one  like 
one  of  these  consolidated  schools,  the  picture  of  which  I 


«s&%?- 


^'^^^8 


^^& 


A   CONSOLIDATED   SCHOOL 

have  here,  what  do  you  think  would  be  the  effect  on  our 
community?  It  would  not  only  mean  better  schools,  but 
it  would  mean  better  roads,  better  churches  (we  now 
have  practically  none).  It  would  mean  that  we  could  get 
some  of  our  pleasure  out  here  where  we  live  instead  of 
having  to  go  into  town  for  all  of  it.  We  could  have  our 
music,  our  athletics,  our  moving  pictures,  and  social  clubs 
of  all  sorts  right  here.  I  have  nothing  against  the  town.  It 
has  its  place.  But  I  am  for  the  country;  I  think  it  has  its 
place  also.  It  has  a  mighty  poor  chance  now  to  get  any  , 
respect  when  it  does  not  have  anything  to  commend  it 
except  long  hours  of  hard  work  and  loneliness. 


THE     CHILDREN     STUDY    GEOGRAPHY  171 

"There  is  but  one  real  argument  against  consolidation  of 
schools.  That  is  the  argument  of  expense.  I  haven't  found 
anybody  who  will  not  admit  that  it  will  help  to  get  good 
roads,  to  pro\ade  good  churches,  and  better  social  life.  Some 
say  that  it  would  make  it  more  expensive.  I  might  grant 
that  for  the  sake  of  argument  and  yet  say  that  no  country 
community  can  afford  to  be  without  it.  But  the  fact  is 
that  here  in  Gem  County  that  is  not  anything  like  true. 

'Tt  is  true  that  the  direct  tax  which  the  people  would 
pay  might  be  higher  but  it  is  not  true  that  the  real  tax 
would  be  higher.  To  prove  this  statement,  our  class  has 
been  making  some  investigation.  We  have  found  out  how 
many  pupils  there  are  attending  high  school  in  town  who 
should  be  in  high  schools  down  here  in  the  country  within 
the  limits  of  our  zone.  There  are  exactly  thirty  this  year, 
right  now. 

''  I  asked  Mr.  Worthy  the  other  day  how  much  it  cost  him 
to  send  his  two  boys  to  high  school.  He  said  that  it  would 
cost  $500.00  each  for  the  year.  I  want  you  to  multiply 
$500.00  by  30  and  see  what  you  get.  That  alone  amounts 
to  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  That  is  a  tax,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, just  the  same  as  if  the  sheriff  collected  it  from  them. 

"Now,  to  bring  my  talk  to  a  close,  I  say  that  if  we  will 
add  fifteen  thousand  dollars  a  year  to  what  we  are  already 
spending  and  invest  it  in  our  schools,  we  can  have  the 
best  schools  in  the  land.  Our  geography  class  is  for  doing  it 
next  year  and  we  want  your  help  to  get  the  rest  of  the  folks 
to  see  that  this  is  a  wise  thing  to  do." 

That  is  what  I  call  real  geography  work,  Hilda.  W^hen 
the  study  of  geography  leads  to  some  real  social  or  economic 
response  in  the  Hfe  of  the  people,  then  geography  ceases  to 


172  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

be  merely  a  school  subject  and  becomes  a  real  factor  of 
society.  Why  can  we  not  teach  all  of  our  subjects  in  the 
schools  SO  that  they  begin  to  function  at  once  in  the  life  of 
the  people?  I  believe  we  could,  if  we  would  just  use  enough 
thought  in  studying  our  community's  needs  and  at  the  same 
time  the  materials  that  we  are  presenting  to  our  children. 
I  am  going  to  try  harder  and  harder  to  do  just  that. 

Since  our  study  of  geography,  Hilda,  you  seem  so  much 
nearer  to  me  than  you  ever  did  before.  You  see  these 
Middle  West  states  are  as  much  alike  as  are  peas  in  a  pod. 
Not  only  do  you  seem  nearer  to  me,  but  the  people  in  all 
the  world  seem  nearer  to  me,  physically,  and  dearer  to  me, 
socially.  Don't  you  think  that  is  the  natural  consequence  of 
knowing  more  of  the  other  fellow's  problems?  I  do.  I 
think  that  is  the  reason  I  like  you  so  well,  Hilda.  I  know  so 
much  about  you.  I  did  not  like  people  of  Swedish  descent 
until  I  came  to  know  you.  They  seemed  queer  to  me.  I 
have  found  it  so  with  every  other  nationality  about  which 
I  knew  but  little.  But  when  I  knew  them  better,  I  liked 
them  more.  So,  geography,  you  see,  is  not  so  much  a 
matter  of  study  of  the  physical  features  of  lands  as  it  is  of 
the  social  life  of  peoples.  If  I  knew  all  the  nationalities  of 
earth  as  I  now  know  the  Swede  as  a  result  of  my  acquaint- 
ance with  you,  then,  I  would  consider  myself  very  learned  in 
geography.  But  if  I  knew  every  physical  feature  of  the 
earth's  surface  and  remained  in  ignorance  of  its  people, 
my  information  would  be  worthless  in  so  far  as  my  insight 
into  society  is  concerned. 

In  globe-trotting  and  fraternizing  mood,  I  am 

Yours, 

Martha 


THE     CHILDREN     STUDY     GEOGRAPHY  173 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

1.  The  plan  upon  which  those  teachers  are  working  is  quite  op- 
posed to  the  plan  by  which  I  was  taught  and  which  I  have  always 
used.  They  seem  to  pay  but  little  attention  to  places.  How  do  they 
justify  this  neglect  of  places  in  a  study  of  geography? 

2.  What  are  the  advantages  of  studying  geography  from  this 
viewpoint?  Will  there  not  be  many  facts  in  geography  which 
cannot  be  covered  in  this  way? 

3.  Martha  says  that  her  children  made  representative  homes  of 
the  people  in  all  of  those  different  localities  and  industries.  Was 
there  not  a  good  deal  of  duplication?  What,  then,  was  the  advan- 
tage of  making  these  homes? 

4.  Miss  Bogard  makes  the  scientific  facts  of  geography  very  few 
and  very  simple.  Are  they  really  so  few  and  so  simple?  Just  what 
does  she  mean  by  an  "inductive  study"  and  by  a  "deductive 
study?"  Why  did  she  not  explain  further?  Does  she  think  everyone 
understands?  If  she  thinks  that,  she  is  mistaken,  for  I  do  not.  I 
wonder  where  I  can  find  out  more  fully  what  she  means? 

5.  In  !Miss  St.  John's  school  they  are  studying  just  two  questions 
as  a  means  of  reviewing  all  of  the  geographical  data  which  eighth- 
grade  children  will  need  for  final  examinations  and  for  preparation 
for  high  school.    Is  that  sufficient? 

6.  Edwin  Glau  seems  to  me  like  a  rather  remarkable  eighth- 
grade  country  boy.  Will  consolidated  schools  solve  the  problems 
which  he  presents?  What  new  problems  might  consolidated  schools 
present  which  the  one-teacher  schools  do  not? 

Wh.^t  Hilda  Read  ix  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 
Teaching  the  Common  Branches. — Charters. 

Country  Life  and  the  Country  School — Carney.    Chapters  IV,  VII. 
Constructive  Rural  Sociology — Gillette.    Chapters  IX,  XI. 
The  Elementary  School  Curriculum — Bonser.     Chapter  X. 
The  Teacher,  the  School,  and  the  Community — McFee.     Chapter 

XII. 
Rural  Life  and  the  Rural  School — Kennedy.    Chapter  VI. 

Successful  T— 12 


CHAPTER  XV 

MARTHA     HAS    A    PENMANSHIP    REVIVAL    IN    HER     SCHOOL 

February  14 
My  dear  Hilda: 

This  is  the  day  when  all  the  birds  choose  their  mates.  If 
I  were  a  bird,  you  would  certainly  be  my  choice.  You  are 
so  patient,  long-suffering  and  encouraging.  I  have  come 
to  feel  that  everyone  should  have  someone  to  whom  he  can 
tell  all  of  the  things  of  interest  to  him.  I  am  certain  that 
my  pleasure  has  always  been  doubled  for  me  when  I  told 
them  to  you.  The  joy  of  my  school  work  this  year  has  been 
more  than  doubled  by  my  letters  to  you.  To  put  down  in  a 
letter  what  I  have  been  enjoying  for  a  month  has  been  like 
a  delightful  dessert  at  the  close  of  a  good  dinner. 

The  way  in  which  I  write  my  letters  to  you  reminds  me 
of  Mr.  Worthy  as  he  sits  by  the  fire  after  supper.  He  seems 
to  be  living  over  all  of  the  delightful  experiences  of  the  day. 
He  seems  to  be  recalling  the  flavor  of  his  morning  coffee,  the 
freshness  of  the  morning  air,  the  beauty  of  the  sunrise,  the 
joy  with  which  the  dog  frisked  around  him  as  he  came  out 
of  the  house,  the  pleased  greeting  extended  to  him  by  all 
of  the  barnyard  family.  He  seems  to  be  rejoicing  over  the 
fertility  of  his  farm,  the  friendship  of  his  neighbors,  the 
comfortableness  of  his  farm  residence,  the  efficiency  of  his 
wife,  and  the  alertness  of  his  children.  That  is  the  way  I 
feel,  Hilda,  when  I  begin  my  letters  to  you.  The  things 
which  I  have  done  come  trooping  before  me  and,  like  a 

174 


THE    PENMANSHIP    REVIVAL  175 

small  child,  they  beg  me  to  tell  about  them.  I  cannot  relate 
all  of  those  experiences.  I  would  not  have  the  time  and  you 
would  not  have  the  patience,  I  fear,  to  read  to  the  end. 

I  have  never  told  you,  I  believe,  of  what  we  are  doing  to 
improve  the  quality  of  our  penmanship.  I  did  refer  some- 
time since  to  Roy  Werth's  project  based  upon  the  improve- 
ment of  his  penmanship.  He  has  not  been  an  exceptional 
case,  I  find,  in  the  helping-teacher  district. 

Let  me  tell  you  the  story  of  this  penmanship  work  in  our 
schools.  Last  October  when  the  Standard  Tests  were  given, 
penmanship  was  among  the  subjects  tested.  Because  of  the 
fact  that  Mr.  Moore  wanted  to  devote  two  months  to  each 
of  the  other  four  subjects  tested,  and  because  he  felt  that 
penmanship  was  a  subject  that  might  be  emphasized  all  of 
the  time  and  thereby  be  improved  without  a  special  time 
for  its  study,  no  place  was  made  for  it  on  the  schedule  of  the 
supervisor.  Soon  Mr.  Moore  noted  that  the  results  were  not 
appearing  in  that  subject  as  he  had  hoped  and  expected.  He 
had  made  known  the  penmanship  standing  of  every  child 
through  the  Survey  just  as  he  had  for  all  other  subjects. 
He  had  placed  in  each  school  a  copy  of  the  penmanship 
scale.  He  had  suggested  that  the  children  do  certain  things 
by  which  to  judge  their  work.  These  things  in  general 
did  not  produce  the  desired  results. 

When  I  returned  from  my  Christmas  vacation,  I  found 
the  following  letter  addressed  to  me,  but  written  to  the 
children : 

January  i,  1922 
My  dear  Boys  and  Girls: 

Would  you  like  to  do  something  during  the  year  1922  of  which  you 
will  always  be  proud?   Would  you  like  to  do  something  this  year  to 


176  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

which  you  can  always  refer  as  your  "  1922  JOB  "  and  then  know  that 
it  was  a  job  worth  while?    Surely,  you  would! 

"Well,  what  is  it?"  you  say.  It  is  an  easy  thing  to  say  but  a 
hard  thing  to  do.  Many  of  you  will  start  out  but  some  of  you  will 
play  out.  Many  of  you  will  mean  well  but  some  of  you  will  not 
work  well.    Many  of  you  will  begin  but  some  of  you  will  not  finish. 

"What  is  it?  What  is  it?"  Well!  I'll  tell  you.  It  is  to  form  one 
good  habit.  Form  it  so  well  that  it  will  stay  with  you  all  of  your 
life.  The  particular  habit  to  which  I  refer  is  that  of  learning  to 
write  well. 

Writing,  boys  and  girls,  is  a  habit.  It  is  a  good  habit  if  the 
writing  is  legible  and  rapid.  It  is  a  bad  habit  if  the  writing  is 
illegible  and  slow.  I  have  a  bad  writing  habit.  I  want  you  to  form 
a  good  writing  habit. 

I  am  not  satisfied  with  my  writing.  I  am  going  to  correct  my  bad 
habit  and  so  I  challenge  you  to  a  race.  To-day  I  am  going  to  take  a 
sample  of  my  penmanship.  I  am  going  to  take  a  sample  once  every 
week  until  the  close  of  the  year.  Suppose  you  do  the  same.  I  shall 
improve  more  during  this  year  than  any  child  in  the  schools  of  the 
demonstration  district. 

Let  me  suggest  that  when  I  come  to  your  school,  you  give  to  me 
the  samples  of  your  penmanship  written  on  every  second  week. 
You  keep  the  other  samples.  I  shall  make  a  file  of  your  work  and 
keep  it.  You  do  the  same.  I  shall  also  make  a  file  of  my  own  writing. 
At  the  end  of  the  session  when  we  have  our  big  spelling  match 
down  at  Marshfield,  we  shall  have  a  penmanship  exhibit  and  see 
who  wins  the  contest,  you  or  I.  Suppose  you  compare  your  work 
each  week  with  the  scale  which  you  have  at  your  school. 

Are  you  in  the  game?  Good!  All  together,  now,  for  a  fine  race, 
good  habit  and  a  big  job  for  1922 !  Who  will  work  well  and  be  in  at 
the  finish? 

\Mshing  every  one  of  you  a  happy  new  year,  I  am 

In  to  win, 

William  Hoppes  Moore 

I  wish  you  might  have  seen  my  children  when  I  read  that 
letter  to  them.    The  spirit  of  contest  was  in  them  in  a 


THE    PENMANSHIP    REVIVAL  1 77 

minute.  Some  of  them  said :  "  Of  course,  he  can  write  bet- 
ter than  we  can.  He  is  a  man  while  we  are  just  children." 
When  I  reread  the  part  of  the  letter  which  said  "improve 
more,"  they  were  all  ready  to  accept  the  challenge. 

I  told  you  sometime  ago  about  Roy.  He  is  perhaps  the 
most  serious  and  the  most  businesslike  boy  in  my  school, 
but  they  are  all  in  the  game.  Formerly  they  took  their 
samples  of  penmanship  to  the  scale  and  compared  them 
with  a  general  kind  of  an  interest,  which  seemed  to  say: 
"Yes,  I'll  do  this  because  I  am  supposed  to  do  so,  but  not 
because  of  any  good  that  I  see  that  will  come  from  it."  It 
is  a  different  story  now.  They  study  that  scale  and  their 
own  productions,  now,  as  a  real  artist  would  study  a  master- 
piece and  compare  it  with  his  own  production. 

Each  week  the  children  take  three  kinds  of  samples : 

First:  They  get  samples  of  their  movement  work  in  which 
they  are  working  merely  for  form.  It  has  been  my  observa- 
tion that  this  is  about  as  far  as  the  penmanship  work  has 
usually  carried  over  in  our  schools.  The  teachers  learn 
something  of  how  to  count  the  strokes,  the  children  learn 
something  of  making  ovals  according  to  the  counts,  and 
then  we  teachers  and  the  children  seem  to  think  that  we 
have  done  our  duty  to  penmanship.  This  phase  is  neces- 
sary, I  think,  as  a  preparation  to  penmanship,  but  it  is  7wt 
penmanship.  I  have  observed  that  children  can  become 
quite  expert  in  making  ovals  and  yet  not  improve  one 
iota  in  the  form  of  their  regular  writing. 

Second:  The  children  give  themselves  a  regular  three- 
minute  test  each  week  just  like  the  test  which  they  took 
last  fall.  In  this  way  they  have  an  opportunity  to  observe 
the  improvement  which  they  are  making  in  their  ability 


178  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

to  do  one  particular  exercise.  This  is  a  very  illuminating 
phase  of  the  work  to  me.  I  find  that  in  this  piece  of  work 
they  can  pick  out  the  details  of  several  samples  and  com- 
pare them  and  see  wherein  they  have  improved  or  lost  to  a 
degree  not  possible  with  a  promiscuous  collection  of  their 
work. 

Third:  The  third  sample  of  their  work  is  the  one  in  which 
there  is  the  most  novel  interest.  After  we  received  Mr. 
Moore's  letter,  we  had  a  meeting  of  the  house  as  a  "com- 
mittee of  the  whole"  to  discuss  ways  and  means.  We 
analyzed  the  kinds  of  work  that  were  necessary  to  be  done  in 
order  to  make  the  work  in  penmanship  really  effective. 
Every  child  participated  in  the  discussion  and  decision. 
It  was  John  Newmann  who  said:  "These  pretty  samples 
that  we  make  at  the  time  of  our  penmanship  lessons  are 
all  right,  but  it  is  what  we  do  when  we  are  off  guard  that 
really  counts.  That  is  the  kind  of  writing  that  we  are  going 
to  do  ordinarily.  We  will  not  be  good  writers  until  we  write 
so  well  that  we  write  well  when  we  are  not  thinking  about 
it.  I  move,  therefore,  that  besides  these  two  dressed  up 
samples  which  we  have  that  are  made  when  we  are  thinking 
about  it,  we  have  one  other.  Let  that  be  one  which  the 
teacher  selects  from  our  written  work  that  we  hand  in. 
Let  her  not  tell  us  when  she  is  going  to  take  the  sample.  In 
that  way  we  will  always  be  on  our  guard  to  do  our  best 
until  we  do  our  best  all  of  the  time,  even  when  we  are  not 
thinking  about  it." 

John's  motion  carried.  As  a  result,  we  have  the  three 
types  of  samples  taken  each  week.  Just  a  little  more  than 
one  month  has  passed  since  we  adopted  this  plan  of  work 
but  the  results  are  already  abundantly  evident. 


THE    PENMANSHIP     REVIVAL  179 

After  the  first  group  of  samples  had  been  collected, 
Marie  asked  if  we  might  not  use  our  penmanship  period 
the  next  day  to  make  some  folders  in  which  to  keep  the 
penmanship  samples.  Of  course,  I  consented.  The  idea 
was  a  contagious  one.  All  became  enthusiastic  over  a 
penmanship  folder.  Some  of  them  had  rather  crude  ideas 
as  to  what  the  folder  should  be  like,  but  all  had  ideas  and 
were  encouraged  to  state  them.  Each  pupil  made  his  own 
design  for  the  back  of  his  folder.  Some  were  good,  "very, 
very  good"  and  some  were  bad,  even  "horrid." 

The  interest  has  grown  and  ability  to  write  has  improved 
to  such  an  extent  that  their  penmanship  work  has  become 
one  of  the  big  items  in  their  school  pride.  We  had  a  Valen- 
tine party  at  our  school  yesterday.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that 
penmanship  and  valentine  decorations  are  not  very  much  in 
keeping,  the  children  insisted  that  our  valentines  and  our 
penmanship  folders  with  our  samples  should  be  on  exhibit. 

When  they  began  to  plan  for  exhibiting  their  work 
Henry  Simon  said — -"Well,  if  we  are  going  to  show  our 
writing,  I  want  to  make  a  new  folder,  for  mine  is  not  good 
enough  to  show."  His  statement  put  ideas  into  the  minds 
of  the  others.  All  wanted  to  make  new  folders.  They  had 
all  advanced  beyond  their  ideals  of  a  month  ago.  I  wish 
you  could  see  the  two  folders  which  each  child  has  made. 
No  better  evidence  could  be  found  in  our  school  of  the  value 
of  one  month  of  interesting  work  in  the  growth  of  a  child. 
When  I  saw  those  folders,  I  got  a  new  vision  of  my  respons- 
ible opportunity  as  a  teacher. 

These  are  the  factors  as  I  now  see  them,  Hilda,  which 
have  entered  into  this  work  and  which  must  enter  into  any 
work  in  which  definite  improvement  is  desired : 


l8o  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

First:  There  must  be  a  motive  for  the  work.  Penman- 
ship is  a  very  monotonous  kind  of  work  unless  it  is  moti- 
vated by  some  social  situation.  Mr.  Moore's  challenge 
started  the  children.  The  collection  of  samples  with  the 
consciousness  that  they  were  to  be  used  later,  in  two  or 
three  ways,  has  continued  it. 

Second:  There  must  be  a  great  deal  of  repetition  with 
attention  to  the  details  which  require  improvement.  It  is 
the  attention  that  guides  the  effort.  It  is  the  repetition 
which  drills  in  the  correct  form  and  makes  a  habit  of  it. 

Third:  There  must  be  a  social  situation  to  keep  one 
spurred  on  to  his  best.  I  fear  that  we  do  not  make  enough 
of  this  phase  in  our  school  work  The  approval  of  others 
has  everything  to  do  with  the  way  in  which  we  appreciate 
ourselves.  In  no  phase  of  our  school  work  is  this  more 
important  and  valuable,  I  feel,  than  in  penmanship. 

Fourth:  There  must  be  a  consciousness  of  some  practical 
purpose  to  which  one  can  put  what  he  learns.  That  prac- 
tical purpose  might  be  to  secure  some  aesthetic  end  in  which 
money  played  no  part,  but  to  the  individual  it  must  be  an 
end  worthy  of  his  effort. 

I  hope  you  will  see  the  effect  of  the  work  in  penmanship 
done  in  our  school,  even  upon  the  friendly  letters  written 
by  the  teacher.    In  my  best  penmanship  style, 

I  subscribe  my  name, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

I.  Penmanship  has  certainly  been  a  difficult  subject  for  me  to 
teach.  The  chief  trouble  has  been  to  get  the  children  interested. 
Some  of  them  would  be  interested  in  it  just  as  some  children  are 


THE    PENMANSHIP    REVIVAL  l8l 

interested  in  all  school  subjects.  I  wonder  if  the  letter  from  Mr. 
Moore  would  have  interested  them.  Just  what  was  the  particular 
thing  that  interested  them — the  saving  of  the  sample,  the  approach- 
ing exhibits,  or  the  contest  with  JNIr.  Moore? 

2.  The  idea  of  having  the  children  save  three  different  kinds  of 
samples  of  their  work  seems  to  me  good.  What  particular  ad- 
vantage was  in  each  sample? 

3.  To  what  other  school  subjects  is  penmanship  related?  How? 

4.  Martha  says  that  there  are  four  factors  necessary  for  self- 
improvement  in  anything.  Are  the  factors  she  names  the  most 
important  ones?    What  might  be  added? 

5.  Where  may  I  go  to  get  more  information  on  the  subject  of 
penmanship? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Eighteenth  Year  Book — Writing — Gray.     Part  II.     National  So- 
ciety for  the  Scientific  Study  of  Education. 
Psychology  for  Teachers — La  Rue.    Chapter  IX. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

MARTHA  REJOICES   OVER   ORAL  READING   WORK 

February  21 
Dear  Hilda: 

Would  that  every  day  of  my  life  might  be  as  this  has  been 
and  that  all  the  work  that  I  see  done  might  be  as  full  of 
meaning  and  pregnant  with  hope.  In  spite  of  a  five-inch 
snow  that  fell  last  night  on  top  of  an  old  weather-beaten 
snow  that  has  piled  up  all  winter,  in  spite  of  temperature 
which  was  twenty  below  throughout  the  day,  practically 
the  entire  group  of  teachers  was  present  at  the  meeting  to- 
day. 

At  exactly  ten  o'clock  Miss  Walker  called  the  meeting 
to  order  and  from  then  until  noon  we  had  a  most  thrilling 
program.  Three  teachers  taught  oral  reading  lessons.  The 
thrilling  part  to  me  was  to  see  that  excellent  oral  reading 
can  be  secured  from  classes  with  seemingly  so  little  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  teacher. 

My  teachers  used  to  be  constantly  saying:  "Louder" 
— "louder" — "read  with  more  expression" — "read  that 
again,"  and  such  other  expressions  as  were  supposed  to  be 
directions  for  securing  good  or  better  oral  expression.  Even 
then  we  children  would  hum  along  in  a  tone  that  sounded 
more  like  the  buzz  of  a  bumblebee  than  like  the  clear,  crisp 
tones  of  an  intelligent  and  intelligible  conversation.  Such 
was  not  the  situation  in  to-day's  demonstration.  Each 
child  read  just  as  he  talked. 

182 


MARTHA    REJOICES    OVER    ORAL    READING  183 

It  was  pointed  out  at  our  meeting  a  month  ago  and  amply 
demonstrated  to-day  that  there  are  two  fundamental  con- 
ditions for  oral  reading:  One  is  a  real  audience,  that  is,  an 
audience  that  is  interested  and  giving  attention  to  what  is 
being  said;  the  other  condition  is  attractive  and  interesting 
reading  material  which  interests  and  delights  the  reader 
himself. 

How  far  this  is  from  the  situation  which  prevailed  in  our 
childhood!  Do  you  recall  how  every  child  was  required  to 
read  his  lesson  over  "at  least  five  times"  by  way  of  prep- 
aration, how  every  child  was  required  to  "keep  up  with  the 
place"  while  the  children  read  by  turns,  and  then  how, 
after  the  reading  of  each,  all  other  members  of  the  class 
were  called  upon  to  state  the  mistakes  that  had  been  ob- 
served. 

In  a  lesson  of  that  sort  no  attention  was  given  either  to  au- 
dience or  to  material.  The  two  big  things  which  were  written 
large  on  such  a  recitation  were  "words"  and  "mistakes." 
The  reader  had  his  eye  and  mind  on  mere  words — not 
thoughts — and  the  remainder  of  the  class  did  not  con- 
stitute an  audience  that  the  reader  was  to  instruct  or  please, 
but  rather  a  group  of  petty  faultfinders  who  had  their  eyes 
and  ears  attuned  for  verbal  mistakes  only.  Even  when  a 
child  did  become  what  was  called  a  "good  reader"  under 
that  plan,  I  am  now  constrained  to  believe  that  he  was  a 
good  word-pronouncer  only,  and  not  a  good  idea-getter  or  a 
good  thought-transmitter. 

The  plan  which  was  used  to-day  makes  words  the  agency 
by  which  ideas  are  "put  over."  The  attention  of  no  one 
was  ever  placed  primarily  upon  words;  the  first  interest 
was  always  in  ideas.    If  the  teacher  failed  to  get  the  idea 


184  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

which  a  reader  was  supposed  to  convey  or  if  a  member  of  the 
class  failed  to  understand,  the  reader  was  told  that  he  was 
not  understood  and  for  that  reason  would  he  kindly  re- 
peat, or  restate,  or  interpret  what  he  had  just  read.  This 
made  the  reader  conscious  that  good  oral  reading  was  good 
talking  and  must  be  just  as  understandable  by  his  audience 
as  anything  else  that  he  said  which  was  meant  for  someone 
else  to  understand. 

For  the  teacher  to  secure  good  oral  reading,  then,  her 
task  becomes  one  not  of  "hearing  recitations,"  but  one  of 
finding  appropriate  materials,  of  making  wise  assignments, 
and  of  creating  real  audiences  for  the  appreciation  of  the 
reader's  effort.  I  have  decided  that  the  biggest  factor 
in  producing  excellent  oral  readers  is  wise  appreciation. 
In  this  school  subject,  oral  reading,  perhaps  more  than  in 
any  other,  appreciation  counts  for  far  more  than  does  crit- 
icism. The  longer  I  live  and  the  more  I  observe,  the  more 
I  am  convinced  that  appreciation  is  the  great  creative 
force  in  society.  The  lesson  taught  by  the  noble  visitor  in 
"The  Passing  of  the  Third  Floor  Back,"  by  Jerome  K. 
Jerome,  was  that  of  wise  appreciation.  The  world  is  full  of 
noble  impulses  and  of  creative  genius,  but  it  needs  more 
people  who  can  see  the  unexpressed  noble  impulses  and  the 
latent  creative  genius  and  can  inspire  both  to  expression 
and  action. 

In  order  to  create  a  real  audience  for  the  reader,  some  of 
the  teachers  have  done  away  with  the  reading  classes,  as 
such,  on  certain  days.  Instead,  a  general  reading  period 
for  the  entire  school  is  held  on  those  days,  at  which  time 
each  child  in  the  entire  school  reads  whatever  appeals  to 
him.  On  one  day,  all  will  read  poetry,  another  day  they  will 


MARTHA    REJOICES     OVER     ORAL    READING  l8$ 

read  news  items,  another  day  they  read  jokes.  In  this  way, 
a  great  variety  is  pro\aded  and  at  the  same  time  it  is 
sufficiently  restricted  to  insure  a  kinship  of  material. 

This  type  of  oral  work  stimulates  a  vast  amount  of  silent 
reading.  Each  child,  in  order  to  find  what  suits  him  to 
present  as  an  oral  reading,  does  much  reading  of  material 
before  he  finds  what  he  thinks  sufficiently  good  to  present 
to  an  audience  with  a  \'iew  to  entertaining  it.  It  is  not  the 
small  amount  that  the  reader  reads  aloud  which  counts 
most  toward  effective  oral  reading,  but  it  is  rather  the  large 
amount  of  discriminative  silent  reading  that  he  does  in 
picking  out  his  selection  which  really  improves  his  reading. 
For  the  little  children  in  the  first  grade  only  a  limited 
amount  of  this  type  of  work  can  be  done  with  profit,  but 
the  benefits  increase  as  the  child's  ability  to  read  and  to 
select  reading  increases. 

Oral  reading,  it  seems  to  me,  should  be  thought  of  as 
language  rather  than  as  reading.  If  this  were  done,  it 
would  improve  the  quahty  and  character  of  both  the  oral 
reading  and  the  language.  We  should  think  of  reading, 
chiefly,  as  getting  ideas  for  one's  self,  of  language  as  giving 
ideas  to  others,  whether  they  be  one's  own  ideas  or  the 
ideas  he  gets  through  reading.  In  general,  the  purposes  of 
oral  reading  and  oral  composition  are  the  same,  and  the 
method  of  teaching  them  should  be  very  similar. 

Next  month  we  are  to  do  language  again.  I  believe  I 
have  not  told  you  that  it  is  Mr.  Moore's  plan  to  emphasize 
each  of  four  subjects  twice  during  the  session.  We  have 
devoted  one  month  to  each  of  the  following  subjects: 
Reading,  Language,  Spelling  and  Arithmetic.  We  are  now 
going  over  them  a  second  time.    We  are  emphasizing  a 


l86  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

different  phase  of  each  subject  the  second  time  from  what 
we  did  the  first  time.  Judging  from  my  second  month  on 
Reading,  the  second  month  on  each  subject  emphasized,  is 
going  to  prove  even  more  interesting  and  profitable  than 
did  the  first.  It  takes  one  month  for  us  to  begin  to  get  the 
big  significant  ideas  on  the  subject.  After  the  ideas  He 
fallow  for  three  months,  they  spring  up  to  reenforce  and 
fertilize  the  ideas  secured  the  second  time  the  subject 
is  taken  up. 

At  our  meeting  to-day,  we  had  Miss  Willairs,  primary 
specialist  from  the  normal,  and  Miss  Galligan,  one  of  the 
normal  school  critics,  both  of  whom  gave  demonstrations 
as  suggestions  for  our  work  for  next  month.  Three  types 
of  work  were  suggested:  (i)  Memorizing  of  poems  which 
have  a  patriotic  spirit  or  which  relate  to  health,  happiness, 
or  character:  (2)  The  telling  of  stories  which  relate  to  things 
heroic:  (3)  Compositions,  both  oral  and  written,  which 
relate  to  health  and  happiness. 

You  see  that  patriotism  and  optimism  are  the  general 
themes  for  the  month.  I  shall  write  you  later  as  to  results. 
I  know  that  you  must  feel  that  you  are  one  of  the  teachers 
in  the  demonstration  group  since  I  never  write  you  about 
anything  else.  I  must  tell  you  about  it,  though,  whether 
you  like  it  or  not;  else  I  would  surely  consume  myself 
with  my  own  enthusiasm. 

Devotedly, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

I.  Demonstration  lessons  seem  to  be  a  favorite  method  with 
those  teachers.  What  advantage  is  there  in  three  lessons  over  one, 
as  a  means  of  discussion  by  the  teachers? 


MARTHA    REJOICES     OVER     ORAL    READING  187 

2.  Those  expressions  which  Martha  says  her  teachers  were  ac- 
customed to  use  are  not  entirely  abandoned  even  yet.  Are  they 
really  ineffective  as  means  of  securing  oral  expression?    Why? 

3.  The  two  essentials  for  securing  expressive  oral  reading  named 
by  Martha  seem  to  be  rather  sound.  The  problem,  then,  is  how  to 
provide  them.  I  must  give  some  thought  to  them  to  see  how  I  may 
secure  them. 

4.  The  number  of  times  that  a  child  reads  over  a  lesson  seems 
to  be  of  minor  importance,  according  to  Martha.  What  would  she 
substitute  instead  of  "number  of  times?" 

5.  Would  Martha  be  willing  to  be  indifferent  to  "words"  and 
"mistakes"  of  which  she  speaks  with  some  contempt?  Just  how 
did  the  good  reader  of  two  generations  ago  differ  from  a  good 
reader  now? 

6.  How  can  a  teacher  make  an  assignment  and  conduct  a  recita- 
tion in  order  that  the  attention  may  be  placed  primarily  upon  ideas 
and  in  order  that  correct  words  and  few  mistakes  will  result? 

7.  Would  it  not  be  difficult  to  keep  sufficient  material  provided 
for  the  reading  work  if  the  reading  classes  were  conducted  according 
to  the  plan  which  Martha  suggests?   Would  this  be  a  misfortune? 

8.  Martha  thinks  that  oral  reading  and  oral  composition  are 
very  closely  related — so  closely,  in  fact,  that  the  two  should  be 
thought  of  as  one.  Is  this  true?  What  difference  would  the  ac- 
ceptance of  such  a  view  make  in  our  work? 

9.  Is  it  wise  to  have  experts  demonstrate  for  untrained 
teachers?   Why  not?   Why  so? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Teaching  the  Common  Branches — Charters.    Chapter  V. 
Eighteenth    Year     Book. — Reading — Gray.      Part  II.      National 
Society  for  the  Scientific  Study  of  Education. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

TEACHING  A  POEM 

February  22 
Dear  Hilda: 

I  am  feeling  very  patriotic  to-day.  Washington's 
Birthday  always  brings  a  thrill  to  me.  I  know  of  no  way 
that  I  can  spend  the  day  with  more  joy  to  myself  and,  I 
trust,  with  more  pleasure  to  you  than  to  tell  you  of  some 
patriotic  poems  that  Miss  Galligan  taught  to  the  children 
yesterday  as  a  demonstration  for  our  group.  I  referred  to 
it  in  my  letter  last  night. 

Miss  Galligan  is  a  delightful  individual.  From  her  name 
I  judge  that  she  is  not  German  nor  Swedish,  Danish,  nor 
Dutch.  I  shall  leave  you  to  guess  her  nationality,  but  she 
has  all  of  the  earmarks  of  the  Emerald  Isle — happy,  witty, 
dramatic,  a  good  fellow  with  grown  folks  and  a  charmer  to 
children. 

When  Mr.  Moore  introduced  her,  she  arose  from  her 
seat  while  talking.  "  If  I  were  not  a  patriot,  boys  and  girls, 
I  would  not  be  here  on  a  cold  day  like  this.  Mr.  Moore 
'phoned  me  last  night  and  said  that  he  was  putting  into 
practice  the  selective  draft  and  that  I  was  drafted  for 
to-day.  I  could  not  go  to  war  when  Uncle  Sam  was  selecting 
our  boys  to  join  the  army.  I  wanted  to  go.  I  felt  very  much 
cheated  but  I  tried  to  console  myself  by  thinking  that  to 
teach  boys  and  girls  to  be  good  citizens  is  just  as  important 
as  to  fight  a  foreign  foe.    If  we  do  not  have  good  citizens, 

188 


TEACHING    A    POEM  189 

you  know,  we  are  sure  always  to  have  foes  not  only  in 
other  countries  but,  what  is  more  dangerous,  we  will  be 
our  own  enemies. 

''Mr.  Moore  said  that  he  wanted  me  to  teach  you  some 
patriotic  poems  because  this  next  month  is  to  be  '^Pa- 
triotic Month"  in  the  particular  form  of  "Health  and 
Happiness."  He  seems  to  think  that  it  is  very  patriotic  to 
be  healthy  and  strong  and  happy.  I  agree  with  him. 
Now,  before  we  begin  on  this  frolic — for  it  is  to  be  real  fun — 
will  you  excuse  me  for  a  few  minutes  while  I  talk  seriously 
for  a  while  to  the  teachers  who  are  present?" 

The  children  consented,  so  she  turned  to  the  teachers 
and  gave  the  following  discussion: 

"In  teaching  poetry,  the  first  thing  that  I  have  found 
it  wise  to  do  is  to  get  the  children  into  the  spirit  of  the 
poem  which  you  are  going  to  teach.  Ask  some  questions 
of  the  children  that  will  call  up  real  meanings  that  are  re- 
lated to  the  poem.  Tell  some  incident  that-  will  introduce 
them  to  it.  Do  something  that  will  get  them  into  the  game. 

"When  they  are  ready  to  hear  the  poem,  read  it  to  them 
in  the  most  impressive  manner  you  can.  By  reading,  I  do 
not  mean  read  it  from  the  book.  It  is  far  better  to  quote  it, 
recite  it,  as  we  say.  It  is  poor  psychology  to  ask  a  child  to 
memorize  a  poem  that  the  teacher  herself  does  not  already 
know. 

"The  aim  in  having  children  memorize  a  poem  is  not  to 
provide  a  disagreeable  task  for  them  but  rather  to  introduce 
them  to  a  beautiful  selection  of  literature.  We  must  be 
prepared  to  have  them  FEEL  that  it  is  beautiful.  We  do 
not  wish  them  to  SAY  that  it  is  beautiful.  We  wish  them 
to  FEEL  that  it  is. 

Successful  T.--13 


igo  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

"Poetry  should  be  to  a  child  what  a  beautiful  song  is  to 
him.  He  should  come  to  it  with  the  same  spirit.  Haven't 
you  seen  a  real  music  teacher  sit  at  a  piano  and  sing  a  song 
once  for  children,  then  invite  them  to  hum  it  with  her,  then 
sing  it  with  her,  and  soon  every  child  would  be  singing  it. 
The  child  would  hardly  be  conscious  that  he  made  an 
effort  and  yet  he  would  have  words,  tone,  the  very  soul, 
even,  of  the  song. 

"This  is  the  way  it  should  be  with  poetry.  Children 
should  be  exposed  to  it  and  under  the  most  favorable 
conditions.  You  are  going  to  make  next  month  'Health 
Month,'  I  understand.  You  will  probably  talk  some 
about  contagious  diseases.  Diseases  are  'caught'  only 
when  the  subject  is  in  the  'right  condition'  for  it.  That 
is  true  not  only  of  measles  and  mumps  but  of  music  and 
poetry. 

"After  the  subject  (the  pupil)  is  in  the  right  frame  of 
mind  for  yourexposure,  expose  him  just  as  vividly  and  vigor- 
ously as  possible  the  very  first  time.  The  first  impression 
is  the  most  important  one.  But  for  fear  it  does  not  'take,' 
you  must  expose  him  some  more,  that  is,  you  must  repeat 
your  poem.  You  must  continue  to  repeat  in  one  form  or 
another,  until  he  has  'caught'  your  poem — the  words,  if 
possible,  but  the  spirit  especially.  If  he  has  the  spirit,  it 
will  continue  to  'run  through  his  mind'  like  the  refrain 
of  a  song  until  he  does  get  it.  The  pyschologists  call  this 
sort  of  going  over  'attentive  repetition.'  It  takes  at- 
tentive repetition  to  reduce  a  thing  to  memory,  to  make  it 
'automatic'  as  we  say.  The  teacher  must  begin  by  doing 
all  of  the  work  and  then  gradually  'get  from  under  the 
load '  and  shift  it  over  to  the  children. 


TEACHING    A    POEM  IQI 

"This  morning  I  am  going  to  teach  one  poem  to  these 
children.  I  wish  I  had  time  to  teach  three  because  there  are 
three  which  constitute  a  series  which  I  think  go  together  so 
well.  The  three  poems  that  I  would  like  to  teach  are: 

'The  Flag  Goes  By' — Henry  Holcomb  Bennett 

'America  for  Me' — Henry  van  Dyke 

'America,  the  Beautiful' — Katharine  Lee  Bates." 

Turning  then  to  the  children,  Miss  Galligan  said: — 
"Children,  it  was  very  good  of  you  to  come  here  this 
morning  for  this  demonstration.  You  came  so  that  we 
might  show  these  teachers  how  easy  it  is  and  how  much 
fun  and  pleasure  it  is  to  memorize  poetry.  I  want  to  thank 
you  for  coming. 

"How  many  of  you  had  an  uncle  or  a  brother  in  the  army 
during  the  World  War?  (Nearly  every  one  of  them  had.) 
"How  many  of  you  went  to  Amberville  to  see  the  soldiers 
when  they  came  back  from  war  and  they  had  the  parade 
up  there?"    (All  of  them  had  seen  the  parade.) 

"Wilbur,  will  you  describe  the  parade?" 

"Well,  the  first  thing  in  the  line  was  the  band,  and  the 
drummer  was  the  main  thing  in  it.  Then  came  five  fellows 
carrying  the  flag.  After  them  was  the  general.  Then  several 
automobiles  with  crippled  soldiers  came  next.  Some  more 
automobiles  came  along  with  the  Red  Cross  nurses, 
Y.M.C.A.,  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  War  Camp  secre- 
taries. Then  there  was  another  band  and  some  more  men 
carrying  another  flag.  After  that  we  had  the  soldiers  with 
their  guns  with  bayonets  on  them.  The  soldiers  had  their 
blankets,  their  steel  helmets,  and  all  the  other  things  that 
soldiers  have.  There  was  a  long,  long  line  of  soldiers.  After 


192  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

them  came  a  lot  of  tanks,  and  a  whole  lot  of  wagons  used 
in  the  war." 

''Yes,  Wilbur,  that  is  just  right.  You  saw  everything 
that  happened,  I  believe.  Did  you  notice  what  the  people 
did  when  the  band  came  by?" 

"Yes,  they  all  patted  their  feet  and  moved  in  time  with 
the  music,"  replied  the  children. 

"What  did  the  people  do  when  the  wounded  soldiers 
came  by?" 

"The  people  applauded.   Some  of  the  people  cried." 

"What  did  the  people  do  when  the  soldiers  came  marching 
by?" 

"Oh,  everybody  applauded  and  waved  their  hand- 
kerchiefs and  waved  to  those  that  they  knew." 

"What  did  they  do  when  the  flag  came  by?" 

"Everybody  became  quiet  and  the  men  took  off  their 
hats." 

"Why  did  the  people  become  quiet  and  why  did  the  men 
take  off  their  hats  when  the  flag  came  by?" 

"Because  the  flag  is  the  flag  of  our  country,"  said  Myron. 

"Because  it  stands  for  our  soldiers,"  said  John. 

"Because  it  stands  for  the  authority  of  Uncle  Sam," 
said  Emma. 

"Because  it  stands  for  the  schools,"  said  Erma. 

"Because  it  stands  for  our  homes,"  said  Eddie. 

"Because  it  stands  for  everything  that  the  American 
people  stand  for,"  said  Mary. 

"Yes,  children,  you  are  aU  right.  That  was  just  why," 
said  Miss  Galligan. 

Some  other  children  added  other  details.  Then  she  said: 
"I  am  going  to  recite  a  poem  that  reminds  me  of  what  you 


I 


TEACHING     A    POEM  I93 

have  just  described.  I  want  you  to  listen  to  it  very  carefully 
and  see  what  it  mentions  that  you  saw  in  the  parade. 

Hats  off! 

Along  the  street  there  comes 

A  blare  of  bugles,  a  ruflSe  of  drums, 

A  flash  of  color  beneath  the  sky: 

Hats  off! 
The  flag  is  passing  by! 

Blue  and  crimson  and  white  it  shines, 
Over  the  steel-tipped,  ordered  lines. 

Hats  off! 
The  colors  before  us  fly; 
But  more  than  the  flag  is  passing  by: 

Sea  fights  and  land  fights,  grim  and  great, 
Fought  to  make  and  to  save  the  State: 
Weary  marches  and  sinking  ships; 
Cheers  of  victory  on  dying  lips; 
Days  of  plenty  and  years  of  peace; 
March  of  a  strong  land's  swift  increase; 
Equal  justice,  right  and  law, 
Stately  honor  and  reverend  awe; 
Sign  of  a  nation,  great  and  strong 
To  ward  her  people  from  foreign  wrong: 
Pride  and  glory  and  honor, — all 
Live  in  the  colors  to  stand  or  fall. 

Hats  off! 

Along  the  street  there  comes 

A  blare  of  bugles,  a  ruffle  of  drums; 

And  loyal  hearts  are  beating  high: 

Hats  off! 
The  flag  is  passing  by! 

"What  did  you  see,  children?" 
"The  band,"  shouted  one. 


T94  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

"The  flag,"  shouted  several. 
''A  flash  of  color  beneath  the  sky,"  said  another. 
"Good.    That  was  fine.    Listen  again  and  tell  me  what 
you  see  this  time. 

Blue  and  crimson  and  white  it  shines, 
Over  the  steel-tipped  ordered  lines. 

Hats  off! 
The  colors  before  us  fly; 
But  more  than  the  flag  is  passing  by." 

"Blue  and  crimson  and  white  flag,"  said  one.  "Yes, we 
have  a  song  that  says  almost  the  same  thing." 

"What  song  is  that?" 

"  Red,  white  and  blue,"  came  the  answer. 

"Where  was  the  flag  in  this  poem?" 

"Over  the  steel-tipped  ordered  lines,"  said  Erma. 

"Yes,  but  what  does  that  mean?  What  are  the  steel- 
tipped,  ordered  lines?"  she  asked. 

"Why,  that's  the  soldiers  with  their  guns  with  the  bay- 
onets on  them,"  said  Wilbur. 

"Now,  children,  the  next  part  of  this  poem  tells  why  the 
people  became  quiet  and  why  the  men  took  off  their  hats 
when  the  flag  came  by.  I  want  you  to  listen  and  tell  me  all 
of  the  reasons  that  you  can  find  in  the  poem  for  the  people 
acting  as  they  do  in  the  presence  of  the  flag."  Then  in  fine 
tone  and  with  serious  expression,  she  quoted: 

Sea  fights  and  land  fights,  grim  and  great, 
Fought  to  make  and  to  save  the  State; 
Weary  marches  and  sinking  ships; 
Cheers  of  victory  on  dying  lips; 
Days  of  plenty  and  years  of  peace; 
March  of  a  strong  land's  swift  increase; 


TEACHING    A    POEM  I95 

Equal  justice,  right,  and  law, 
Stately  honor  and  reverend  awe; 
Sign  of  a  nation,  great  and  strong 
To  ward  her  people  from  foreign  wrong; 
Pride  and  glory  and  honor, — all 
Live  in  the  colors  to  stand  or  fall. 

''All  of  those  things  tell  what  the  flag  stands  for,  I 
think,"  said  Myron. 

"Those  statements  tell  the  experiences  that  the  flag  of 
America  has  had  and  it  is  because  the  people  reahze  this 
that  they  become  quiet  and  take  off  their  hats,"  said  Erma. 

"ThatisprettyfLne,"saidMissGalligan,  "but  I  want  you 
to  tell  me  the  words  in  that  selection  that  tell  what  has  made 
the  flag  so  great  and  so  much  respected." 

"  'Sea  fights  and  land  fights,  grim  and  great, 
Fought  to  make  and  to  save  the  State'  " — answered  Eddie. 

''The  marches  of  soldiers,  the  sinking  of  ships  and  the 
cheers  of  dying  soldiers  " — answered  another. 

"  Days  of  plenty  and  peace" — chirped  in  another. 

"  'Equal  justice,  right,  and  law, 
Stately  honor  and  reverend  awe'  "—chimed  in  another. 

Thus  they  continued  until  practically  every  expression 
had  been  recalled.   Then  Miss  Galligan  said: 

"Now,  children,  I  shall  quote  it  again  and  I  want  you 
just  to  say  it  along  after  me  as  best  you  can."  This  they  did. 

"  Children,  the  last  part  of  this  poem  is  just  like  the  first 
part  with  one  exception.  I  want  you  to  notice  while  I  say 
it  and  see  if  you  can  pick  out  the  line  that  is  different.  Then 
she  quoted: 


igo  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

Hats  off! 
Along  the  street  there  comes 
A  blare  of  bugles,  a  ruffle  of  drums; 
And  loyal  hearts  are  beating  high: 

Hats  off! 
The  flag  is  passing  by! 

''I  know,"  "I know,"  "  I  know,"  they  began  to  shout. 

"Wilbur,  you  may  tell  us." 

"  'And  loyal  hearts  are  beating  high,'  "  he  said. 

"That  is  exactly  right," she  said.  "Now,  let's  all  say  that 
last  part  together."    They  repeated  it,  almost  perfectly. 

"Let's  go  back  to  the  first  and  say  that  part  together. 
Good  and  strong  now.  Remember  the  one  line  that  is 
different  from  that  in  the  last."  They  repeated  and  did  it 
well. 

"Now  the  part  of  it  that  tells  what  has  made  the  flag 
great  and  why  we  should  love  it.  I  shall  lead  you."  They 
quoted  and  some  of  them  mispronounced  a  word  or  two 
that  showed  that  they  did  not  fully  understand.  She 
stopped  and  made  it  clear  and  simple  for  them.  Then  they 
repeated  once  or  twice  more.  Then  she  said:  "Now  all 
together  from  the  beginning.  This  time  I  am  going  to  start 
you  and  I  am  going  to  slip  out  of  it  and  see  if  you  can  say  it 
without  me." 

She  began  it  and  they  took  up  the  poem.  She  watched 
them  carefully  and  when  they  seemed  about  to  fail  at  one 
point  she  tactfully  came  in  and  gave  them  confidence  until 
they  were  sure  of  their  words  and  then  she  slipped  out  again. 
When  they  had  covered  it  in  this  way,  she  said: 

"Now  I  wonder  who  can  stand  right  up  here  and  say 
it  all  for  us  in  the  presence  of  this  crowd.    That  will  be 


TEACHING    A    POEM  197 

pretty  hard,  but  I  believe  there  are  some  here  who  can  do 
it." 

Wilbur's  hand  was  in  the  air.  "Good  for  you,  Wilbur,  I 
thought  you  could  say  it."  Wilbur  did  it  well.  Myron  then 
said  he  could,  and  he  did. 

"Now,  boys  and  girls,  I  wonder  if  we  can  stand  up  here 
and  face  this  audience  just  as  our  boys  faced  the  enemy  and 
say  that  poem  so  as  to  make  these  people  feel  that  they  are 
in  Amberville  watching  the  parade  just  as  you  did.  Cer- 
tainly you  can.  Good  position — ^heads  up — soldiers,  re- 
member!" 

Hilda,  I  wish  you  could  have  heard  those  children.  You 
know  me  and  for  that  reason  it  is  needless  for  me  to  tell 
you  what  I  did.  I  wish  to  explain,  though,  that  I  was  not 
the  only  one,  for  there  were  plenty  of  other  folks  who  were 
using  their  handkerchiefs  about  that  time.  That  flag  was 
prettier  to  me  than  it  had  ever  seemed  before. 

The  audience  burst  into  applause.  Mr.  Moore  rose  and 
said : — 

"That  was  the  shortest  fifteen  minutes  I  ever  spent  in  a 
schoolroom  and  probably  the  biggest  literary  day  in  the 
lives  of  those  children.  That  will  probably  go  with  them 
throughout   hfe." 

He  thanked  Miss  Galligan  and  announced  that  the 
people  of  the  neighborhood  had  arrived  with  dinner  for 
the  crowd.  So  the  meeting  adjourned  for  dinner. 

Hilda,  this  morning,  as  I  observed  Miss  Galligan  teach  and 
saw  the  joy  she  was  bringing  into  the  lives  of  those  children 
with  poetry,  I  recalled  some  of  the  crimes  to  childhood  and 


198  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

to  literature  that  I  have  seen  committed  by  teachers.  I 
am  sure  that  I  myself  have  been  a  criminal  by  not  making 
poetry  as  interesting  as  I  might  have  made  it.  But  thank 
goodness,  I  have  never  given  a  child  a  beautiful  poem  to 
memorize  as  a  punishment  for  some  offense,  as  I  have 
sometimes  seen  teachers  do.  I  think  that  is  a  crime  against 
childhood  and  good  literature  great  enough  to  be  punish- 
able by  having  a  teacher's  certificate  cancelled  for  life. 

I  have  always  thought  of  the  summer  time  as  the  time  for 
protracted  meetings  and  conversions.  But,  I  do  beHeve 
that  this  winter  is  proving  to  be  "Conversion  Time"  for 
me,  for  every  time  I  go  to  one  of  these  teachers'  meetings 
I  come  home  and  pray  two  prayers :  one  to  be  forgiven  for 
my  pedagogical  crimes  and  one  to  be  given  the  "  true  light" 
so  that  I  may  see  how  to  walk  in  the  right  pedagogical 
paths  in  the  future.  I  suppose  you  might  call  me  "  a  chronic 
seeker"  for  I  am  always  on  the  pedagogical  mourner's 
bench.  I  hope  yet  to  be  one  of  the  bright  and  shining 
lights  in  the  pedagogical  church.  If  I  could  sit  under  the 
preaching  of  a  few  more  evangelists  like  Miss  Galligan,  I 
am  sure  that  I  would  soon  be  one  of  the  "pillars"  of  the 
church. 

Shouting  happy, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

I.  If  a  teacher  is  going  to  get  children  into  the  proper  spirit  for  a 
poem  before  she  presents  it,  what  must  be  the  relation  of  the 
thought  of  the  poem  and  the  experience  of  the  children?  What  in 
the  experience  of  the  children  whom  Miss  Galligan  was  teaching 
prepared  them  to  appreciate  the  poem?  Can  experiences  be 
borrowed? 


TEACHING    A    POEM  I99 

2.  I  wonder  why  it  is  bad  psychology  for  a  teacher  to  ask  her 
pupils  to  memorize  a  poem  which  she  herself  does  not  know? 
What  good  does  it  do  for  a  child  to  memorize  poetry? 

3.  Why  does  Miss  Galligan  quote  the  entire  poem  before  she 
asks  the  children  to  repeat  any  part  of  it?  Why  does  she  ask  ques- 
tions, the  answers  of  which  will  be  the  exact  words  of  the  poem? 
Why  does  she  have  one  child  quote  the  poem  before  she  asks  the 
entire  class  to  quote  it  for  the  audience? 

4.  How  much  poetry  should  a  child  memorize?  What  should  be 
the  nature  of  the  material?  Will  the  type  of  material  change  from 
year  to  year?  What  should  be  the  nature  of  poetry  for  a  child  of  six? 
Of  ten?  Of  fifteen?  Of  eighteen? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Teaching  Poetry  in  the  Grades — Haliburton  and  Smith. 

How  to  Study  and  Teaching  How  to  Study — ^IcMurry.    Chapter 

vn. 

How  to  Teach — Strayer  and  Norsworthy.    Chapter  V. 
The  Teaching  of  Enghsh — Chubb.    Chapters  VI,  IX. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE    COMMITTEE    ON   AGRICULTURE    TELL    HOW    THEY    ARE 
TEACHING   IT 

Sunday,  February  29 
My  dear  Hilda: 

It  will  be  a  long  time  before  I  have  such  a  privilege  as  this 
again — to  write  to  you  on  Sunday,  the  29th  of  February. 
I  shall  use  this  rare  day  for  the  rare  privilege  of  talking 
about  the  rare  subject  "Teaching  Agriculture  in  Country 
Schools."  This  was  the  subject  presented  in  the  afternoon 
at  our  meeting  on  the  2 2d  inst.  The  farmers  seemed  more 
interested  in  this  discussion  than  they  have  been  in  any  of 
the  others.   This  was  natural,  I  suppose. 

The  committee  consisted  of  Misses  Fish,  Anderson  and 
Black,  all  of  whom  live  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  the 
demonstration  district.  Although  I  am  rural-minded  and 
do  dearly  love  the  farm  and  all  there  is  about  it,  this  fact 
has  never  seemed  to  help  me  in  teaching  agriculture.  I  felt 
relieved  to  find  that  I  was  not  the  only  one  who  has  had 
trouble  of  that  sort.  But  I  shall  let  the  other  folks  talk  for 
themselves.  Miss  Fish  served  as  chairman  of  the  committee 
and  made  the  first  report.   She  said: — 

"Friends,  I  have  been  teaching  for  ten  years.  I  was 
reared  on  the  farm.  I  loved  the  farm.  I  enjoyed  country 
life  and  was  ambitious  to  serve  the  country  people.  I 
naturally  began  teaching  in  the  country. 

200 


REPORT     OF     THE     COMMITTEE     ON    AGRICULTURE        20I 

"When  I  went  to  my  first  teachers'  institute,  we  had  as 
one  of  the  speakers  a  man  who  was  at  that  time  Head  of  the 
Rural  Division  of  the  Bureau  of  Education — Dr.  H.  F. 
Walstein.  He  is  now  president  of  our  own  Normal  School 
here  at  Amberville.  In  his  talks,  he  gave  the  substance  of 
the  report  of  Roosevelt's  Country  Life  Commission.  He 
explained  why  people  were  leaving  the  farm  and  going  to 
the  town.  He  showed  how  that  was  due  to  the  poor  econ- 
omic returns  that  the  farmer  was  getting  from  his  invest- 
ments, to  the  impoverished  social  life  of  the  rural  communi- 
ities,  to  the  inefificient  country  school,  to  the  drudgery  of 
the  housewife  on  the  farm.  He  said  that  we  needed  a  new 
sort  of  school,  'a  school  that  grew  up  out  of  the  soil.' 

"Well,  I  went  to  my  school  from  that  institute  with  high 
hopes.  I  had  a  dream  of  a  school  that  'grew  up  out  of  the 
soil.'  I  must  change  that  statement  and  say  I  had  an 
'aspiration'  for  a  school  that  'grew  up  out  of  the  soil.' 
I  did  not  have  a  dream,  if  by  a  dream  we  mean  a  vision  or  a 
plan.   I  had  no  plan,  I  merely  had  a  'feeling.' 

"  I  knew  little  or  nothing  about  teaching  anything.  Least 
of  all  did  I  know  about  teaching  agriculture.  I  could  teach 
other  subjects  somewhat  as  I  had  been  taught,  but  I  had 
never  been  taught  agriculture.  Our  state  adopted  a  book 
which  was  to  be  studied  by  all  children  in  the  eighth  grade. 

"The  study  of  agriculture  was  carried  on  in  the  same  way 
as  our  study  of  history  and  geography.  We  were  trying  to 
see  how  many  facts  we  could  commit  to  memory  that  were 
foreign  to  our  own  lives.  So  far  as  its  influence  upon  our 
own  agricultural  life  was  concerned,  we  might  just  as  well 
have  been  memorizing  the  names  of  the  ancient  Pharaohs 
of  Egypt  and  the  dates  of  their  reigns. 


202  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

"You  may  say,  'Why  did  you  not  stop  that  foolish  prac- 
tice and  get  down  to  studying  real  things?' 

"My  answer  is  that  I  did  not  know  how.  To  make  bad 
matters  worse,  none  of  my  friends  or  neighbors  seemed  to 
know  how  either.  The  county  superintendent  did  not  seem 
to  know  how.  The  result  has  been  that  I  have  gone  on  in 
that  dead  monotonous  way  for  these  ten  years  teaching  a 
book  in  agriculture. 

"When  the  president  of  the  club  named  me  on  this  com- 
mittee, I  said  to  myself :  'I  knew  it!  I  knew  it!'  Of  course 
I  would  draw  that  pill  of  a  subject.  Fate  could  not  make  it 
otherwise.  The  fact  that  I  hate  it  would  draw  it  to  me  like  a 
steel  to  the  magnet. 

"I  put  on  a  bold  front.  All  the  other  teachers  looked 
pleased  with  their  committee  appointments,  so,  of  course,  I 
could  not  appear  to  be  the  weakling.  I  put  on  a  bold  face,  I 
suppose,  but  I  want  to  confess  now  that  I  had  a  most  heavy 
and  cowardly  heart. 

"When  our  committee  met  to  agree  upon  plans,  we  soon 
discovered  that  we  were  unanimous  in  our  opinion  that  we 
had  drawn  the  most  important  but  the  most  difficult  sub- 
ject of  the  lot. 

"Miss  Black  was  brave  and  inspired  us  by  saying:  '  Well, 
girls,  I  am  a  farmer.  I  know  that  agriculture  is  the  most 
important  subject  in  our  community  and  I  believe  that  it 
should  be  one  of  the  most  important  things  in  my  school.  I 
don't  know  how  to  get  at  it  exactly  but  I  beheve  that  if  we 
studied  it  from  the  angle  of  the  thing  itself,  we  might  get 
further.' 

"Then  Miss  Anderson,  in  her  quiet,  demure  manner  said: 
'Well,  I  have  never  taught  before,  but  it  seems  to  me  that 


i 


REPORT    OF    THE     COMMITTEE     ON    AGRICULTURE        203 

if  that  book  is  to  be  studied  every  year  by  the  eighth  grade, 
it  will  become  uninteresting  to  the  children  before  they 
ever  come  to  study  it.  Every  child  in  a  country  school 
hears  all  that  the  other  children  recite.  It  appears  to  me 
that  if  there  were  some  plan  by  which  all  of  the  children  in 
the  school,  without  reference  to  age,  would  study  some  par- 
ticular interest  each  year  and  let  those  interests  rotate,  we 
could  keep  the  material  interesting.  I  feel  certain  that  we 
could,  as  Miss  Black  suggests,  if  we  studied  the  things 
themselves.  It  seems  to  me  that  a  text  might  be  used  for 
reference  but  that  the  things  themselves  might  be  the  object 
of  the  class  study.' 

"We  agreed  to  put  these  two  ideas  together  and  add  one 
more  to  them  and  that  these  would  constitute  the  basis  for 
our  report.  We  are  ready  to  make  it  on  that  basis.  Each 
of  us  has  taken  a  different  interest  and  we  shall  report 
briefly  what  we  have  done. 

"  In  our  school  here  at  Highlands  we  have  taken  upon  our- 
selves the  task  of  answering  this  question : 

"  'What  breeds  of  hogs,  cows,  and  horses  are  produced  or 
used  in  this  school  district  and  which  of  each  is  most 
profitable  for  this  school  district  and  which  of  each  is  most 
profitable  for  this  community?' 

"In  finding  an  answer  to  that  question,  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  we  have  been  busy  and  happy  every  day. 

"We  took  very  early  a  rapid  invoice  of  the  district.  We 
found  out  what  breeds  there  were  and  how  many  of  each. 
We  next  took  up  each  breed  and  studied  it  carefully  as  to 
cost,  care  and  products.  The  farmers  themselves  soon  be- 
came very  much  interested  in  our  undertaking  and  gave 
us  every  assistance  possible  to  arrive  at  the  facts.   Some  of 


204 


SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 


them  were  rivals— of  a  good-natured  sort — and  really 
wanted  to  know.  We  were  supplied  with  information 
about  the  daily  ration  for  the  animals,  with  all  details  as 
to  quality,  quantity  and  cost. 

''There  was  not  so  much  interest  in  the  horses  for  we  soon 
found  that  practically  all   the   horses  were  Percherons. 


FINE   FARM   HORSES 

There  was  some  more  interest  in  the  hogs  for  we  found  that 
there  were  the  Duroc- Jerseys,  the  Poland  Chinas,  and  the 
Chester  Whites.  When  we  came  to  investigate  the  cattle, 
we  found  that  the  community  had  reached  the  point  of 
real  enthusiasm. 

"Mr.  Buman  has  a  beautiful  herd  of  Galloways.  Mr. 
Hofer  owns  the  Polls.  Mr.  Bass  keeps  the  Herefords.  Mr. 
Stellmeyer  has  a  large  herd  of  Durhams. 

"Since  all  these  cattle  are  beef  cattle,  primarily,  our 
problem  was  somewhat  simplified.  But  in  spite  of  that,  we 
had  to  find  out  many  facts.  The  rate  of  growth  of  the 
animals,  the  amount  of  food  needed,  the  extent  to  which 


REPORT     OF    THE     COMMITTEE     ON    AGRICULTURE 


205 


each  would  take  care  of  itself,  the  attitude  of  the  beef 
market  toward  each;  these  facts  and  many  others  had  to 
be  ascertained  and  evaluated.  We  worked  out  information 
books  on  each  of  our  breeds.  I  have  brought  those  books 
with  me  to-day  and  I  shall  pass  them  around  now  for  you  to 
see. 

"In  our  school,  the  subject  of  agriculture  has  changed 
from  what  it  has  been  in  the  schools  that  I  have  taught 


HOG   RAISING   IN   THE   DISTRICT 

heretofore.  We  are  interested  in  the  real  things  now. 
We  think  in  terms  of  number  and  value  of  hogs,  horses  and 
cattle,  instead  of  number  and  value  of  pages  of  a  book.  To 
get  our  information,  we  have  written  many  real  letters.  We 
have  read  not  only  one  but  many  agricultural  books.  We 
have  worked  enough  real  arithmetic  problems  to  fill  a  book. 
"We  do  not  know  a  little  about  a  great  many  things 
merely,  but  we  know  much  about  the  one  thing  that  we 
have  been  studying  especially,  in  our  school.  We  are  now 
having  questions  from  our  efficient,  practical  farmers  as  to 
what  the  school  thinks  they  should  do  in  order  to  accom- 
plish this  or  that  with  their  stock.     Could  you   imagine 

Successful  T. — 14 


2o6  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

such  being  the  case  where  only  the  book  was  studied? 
I  cannot." 

A  look  at  those  books,  Hilda,  shows  that  those  children  in 
that  school  have  not  been  worrying  about  passing  an 
examination  on  a  certain  number  of  pages  in  an  agricultural 
book.  One  can  see  at  a  glance  that  they  have  had  an  in- 
terest far  more  worthy  and  comprehensive  than  that. 

While  Miss  Fish  was  talking,  I  could  hardly  listen  to  her 
because  I  was  so  much  interested  in  an  exhibit  of  bottles 
arrayed  across  the  teacher's  desk  like  an  army  on  dress 
parade.  When  Miss  Fish  was  through  with  her  talk.  Miss 
Anderson  stood  up  and  began  to  speak.  She  is  the  doll  of 
our  club.  She  is  not  much  larger  than  a  French  doll.  She 
is  not  much  taller  than  the  teacher's  desk. 

"I  notice  that  some  of  you  are  interested  in  this  bottle 
exhibit,"  she  said.  "  I  am  glad  that  you  are.  Many  a  bottle 
has  told  its  tale.    Each  of  these  has  its  tale  to  tell,  also. 

*'My  work  as  a  part  of  this  committee  was  to  make  a 
study  of  wheat  and  report  to  you  how  I  did  it.  You  might 
think  that  I  would  not  need  to  study  wheat  since  that  is  all 
that  I  have  ever  seen  in  all  my  long  life.  Short  as  I  am,  I  can 
stand  in  my  schoolhouse  door  and  look  toward  the  east  and 
see  twenty-five  miles  where  there  is  practically  nothing 
else  ever  grown.  I  can  see  almost  as  far  in  the  other  three 
directions  and  the  situation  is  just  the  same.  Why,  then, 
should  I  study  wheat?  Why  not  study  alligator  pears  or 
pineapples?  I  never  saw  either  of  them  growing.  I  might 
learn  something  interesting  and  strange.  No,  it  is  because 
I  am  in  this  wheat  field  that  I  should  study  it.  I  should 
know  all  I  can  about  it. 


REPORT    OF    THE     COMMITTEE     ON     AGRICULTURE 


207 


"With  this  goal  in  view,  my  children  and  I  went  to  work. 
We  set  out  to  answer  this  question :  '  Is  Gem  County  getting 
as  much  for  its  wheat  crop  as  it  should?' 

"We  found  that  we  could  not  answer  that  question 
directly.  We  had  to  answer  a  number  of  other  questions 
before  we  could  answer  it.   The  first  of  those  big  questions 


WHEAT   IS    THE    LEADING    CROP    OF    THE    DISTRICT 

which  had  to  be  answered  was :  Ts  Gem  County  producing 
as  much  wheat  as  it  could?' 

"To  answer  this,  we  had  to  ask  and  answer  these  ques- 
tions : 


Is  Gem  County  using  the  right  sort  of  wheat  seed? 
Is  Gem  County  using  the  right  scheme  of  crop  rotation? 
Is  Gem  County  properly  draining  its  soil? 
Is  Gem  County  properly  plowing  its  soil? 
Is  Gem  County  properly  planting  its  seed? 
Is  Gem  County  preventing  the  wild  grasses   from   interfering 
with  the  wheat? 

Is  Gem  County  harvesting  and  threshing  its  wheat? 


2o8  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

"You  can  see  the  multitude  of  other  minor  questions 
which  would  arise  in  answering  these  questions.  These 
bottles  here  represent  the  partial  answers  to  only  two  of 
those  questions — those  relating  to  wheat  seed  and  to  weeds 
and  wild  grasses. 

"We  have  made  a  real  study  of  wheat.  We  have  found 
out  all  of  the  various  sorts  of  wheat  that  are  grown  through- 
out the  world.  We  have  small  samples  of  it  here.  We  have 
found  out  the  conditions  under  which  each  grows  best.  -We 
received  much  help  through  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture  on  this.  We  have  all  of  the  U.  S.  bulletins 
on  wheat  as  a  part  of  our  library.  Then,  we  have  made  a 
careful  study  of  this  county  with  the  assistance  of  the  county 
agent,  Mr.  Goodman.  We  know  which  quarter-sections  of 
land  in  this  county  have  produced  the  best  wheat  crops  for 
the  past  three  years.  We  know  the  variety  of  wheat  that 
they  grew  and  all  of  the  conditions  which  led  to  its  produc- 
tion.  The  bottles  in  this  row  contain  samples  of  wheat  seed., 

"The  second  row  of  bottles  contains  wheat  enemies.  We 
have  studied  them  also.  We  know  what  are  the  chief  enemies 
of  wheat  wherever  wheat  is  grown.  Then,  we  know  which  of 
those  we  have  here  in  Gem  County  and  which  ones  we  are 
most  likely  to  get.  We  have  also  found  out  the  sections 
of  the  world  from  which  we  must  be  very  careful  not  to  get 
wheat  in  the  future,  if  we  are  to  avoid  those  other  wheat 
enemies  which  we  do  not  now  have. 

"My  children  and  I  were  greatly  delighted  as  we  studied 
these  questions  and  as  we  got  rephes  from  our  inquiries  and 
requests.  As  we  have  gone  along,  each  of  us,  including  my- 
self, has  kept  a  'Wheat  Book.'  Pictures  and  pen  sketches 
adorn  almost  every  page.    Some  of  us  have  become  quite 


REPORT    OF    THE     COMMITTEE     ON    AGRICULTURE        209 

good  artists  since  we  started  on  this  piece  of  work.  We  did 
not  realize  that  we  were  studying  drawing  but  we  have 
learned  much  about  it,  nevertheless. 

"When  we  had  answered  the  question:  'Is  Gem  County 
producing  as  much  wheat  as  she  could?'  there  was  the 
final  question — 'Is  Gem  County  getting  as  much  for  it  as 
she  should?' 

"To  answer  this  question  we  were  led  into  the  study  of  the 
whole  problem  of  marketing.  What  are  the  different 
grades  of  wheat?  To  answer  that  we  wrote  to  the  Grain 
Graders'  Association  at  St.  Paul  and  got  all  the  information 
that  we  needed.  What  are  the  advantages  of  having  one 
grade  of  wheat  over  having  another  grade?  What  are  the 
advantages  of  the  different  ways  in  which  the  wheat  is 
shipped?  What  are  the  advantages  of  cooperative  selling? 
What  is  probably  the  best  time  to  sell?  These  and  a 
number  of  other  questions  had  to  be  answered. 

"Our  conclusion  is  that  Gem  County  is  now  getting  only 
one  third  as  much  for  its  wheat  crop  as  it  should,  and  as  it 
could,  if  everybody  knew  as  much  about  it  as  we  now  know. 
We  think  we  have  made  some  real  discoveries  and  believe 
that  Gem  County  should  employ  everyone  of  us  to  tell 
others  what  we  know.  But  we  are  not  going  to  wait  to  be 
employed,  we  are  going  to  tell  everybody  who  will  listen  to 
us  what  we  think  we  know. 

"I  have  been  interested  in  the  statements  made  by  the 
other  teachers  to  the  effect  that  agriculture  has  been  hard 
to  teach.  I  cannot  understand  why.  To  me  and  to  all  of 
my  school,  it  has  been  the  one  most  absorbing  subject.  The 
fact  is,  if  we  have  sinned  by  taking  too  much  time  for 
any  of  our  school  subjects,  agriculture  is  the  one.   Aly  one 


2IO  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

explanation  of  it  is  that  I  have  not  been  teaching  it,  I 
have  been  learning  it.  My  children  have  simply  studied 
it  along  with  me.  Wouldn't  it  be  good  if  we  could  do 
that  in  all  of  our  subjects?  We  might  be  a  little  more  like 
real  people  and  less  like  the  teacher  famous  in  song  and 
story. 

"I  do  not  like  to  take  your  thoughts  off  of  the  great 
possibihties  of  the  subjects  presented  by  Miss  Fish  and  Miss 
Anderson,"  said  Miss  Black,  when  she  began  her  discus- 
sion— "but  I  have  my  story  to  tell  and  I  shall  do  it  briefly, 
and  then  let  you  return  to  these  questions  and  think  of  them 
and  discuss  them  just  as  much  as  you  like. 

"It  so  happens  that  I  am  the  only  girl  in  my  family.  I 
have  a  house  and  yard  full  of  brothers.  You  can  see  that 
my  playmates  were  boys  and  that  naturally  I  grew  up  v/ith 
some  of  the  arts  that  boys  are  supposed  to  possess.  Among 
those  arts  which  I  acquired  by  association,  is  the  art  of 
driving  a  horse,  a  Ford,  or  an  automobile.  I  can  also 
drive  a  nail,  guide  a  saw,  push  a  plane  and  wield  a  paint- 
brush. 

"Strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  so  happens  that  all  the  other 
girls  of  my  community  are  just  the  reverse  of  myself  in  one 
particular.  In  their  families,  there  are  no  boys  at  all.  They 
have  to  be  their  fathers'  boys.  They  have  to  do  many  of  the 
things  that  boys  are  supposed  to  do.  For  this  reason,  it 
seemed  to  me  that  the  most  practical  agriculture  that  I 
could  teach  in  my  school  this  year  was  along  the  line  of 
farm  mechanics.   That  is  what  I  have  been  doing. 

"We  rigged  up  a  little  carpenter's  shop  in  our  side  room 
that  we  use  for  general  utility  purposes.  I  have  six  girls  who 
are  in  the  upper  grades.   Each  was  anxious  to  learn  how  to 


REPORT    OF    THE     COMMITTEE    ON    AGRICULTURE         211 

do  a  number  of  things  so  that  she  might  be  a  Httle  more 
independent  and  do  her  own  'hammering'  through  Hfe 
if  she  needed  to  do  so. 

"Velma  wanted  to  make  a  bookrack  and  a  china  closet. 
Veda  wanted  to  make  a  graphophone  case  and  a  music 
stand.  Thelma  desired  to  make  a  center  table  and  a  flower 
stand.  Alice  desired  to  specialize  on  making  swinging 
gates  and  doors  for  she  said  'some  of  ours  are  always  off 
or  sagging.'  Dora  w^anted  to  devote  herself  entirely  to 
repair  work,  while  Wilma  said  she  wanted  to  learn  how  to 
make  hog  troughs,  cattle  stancheons  and  chicken  coops. 

"With  these  very  practical  purposes  before  us,  we  went 
to  work.  If  you  want  to  see  a  manual  training  shop  entirely 
owned  and  operated  by  girls,  just  come  over  and  see  us.  We 
are  enjoying  the  work  very  much.  We  are  learning  one  of 
the  skills  that  is  necessary  to  make  the  life  on  the  farm 
happy.  Without  what  we  are  learning,  it  is  practically 
certain  that  the  farm  will  have  an  abandoned  appearance. 
One  of  the  things  that  is  necessary  for  happy  country  people, 
we  believe,  is  for  buildings  on  the  farm  to  have  a  well-kept 
appearance.  This  they  will  not  have  if  the  people  who  live 
on  the  farm  are  not  able  to  manipulate  the  simple  tools." 

Hilda,  I  wish  you  might  have  seen  the  farmers  watching 
those  teachers  as  they  talked.  When  they  were  through, 
^Ir.  Goode,  who  is  a  very  progressive  and  intelligent 
farmer,  said:  "Madam  President,  as  one  of  the  citizens  of 
this  community,  and  as  a  farmer,  I  want  to  move  a  vote 
of  thanks  to  these  teachers  for  the  information  that  they 
have  given  us  this  afternoon.  I  have  always  thought  that 
the  school  was  a  place  where  the  children  learned  to  read, 


212  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

write, and  spell,  but  I  have  learned  this  afternoon  that  the 
school,  even  a  little  one-teacher  country  school,  can  be 
much  more  than  that  if  we  just  have  the  right  sort  of 
teachers.  I  have  been  looking  over  those  cattle  books  and 
wheat  books  that  the  schools  have  made  and  I  think  they 
are  worth  money,  lots  of  it." 

Mr.  Harryman  seconded  the  motion;  it  was  put  and  car- 
ried with  a  whoop. 

Later,  Mr.  Goode  said  that  he  thought  that  the  teachers 
should  all  be  members  of  the  County  Farm  Bureau  and 
that  he  was  going  to  see  about  it  and  see  if  that  could  not  be 
brought  about.  Well,  if  Ray  Goode  gets  behind  the  prop- 
position,  it  will  probably  become  a  reality. 

After  hearing  all  that  all  of  the  teachers  said  and  after 
seeing  the  effect  of  it  on  the  patrons  who  were  present  at 
the  meeting,  I  have  decided  that  I  also  could  teach  agri- 
culture so  that  it  would  GO. 

With  some  of  the  hayseed  combed  out  of  my  hair  and 
with  some  agricultural  ideas  planted  deep  in  my  cranium,  I 
am 

In  farmerette  fancies, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

I.  I  wonder  if  being  reared  in  the  country  is  an  advantage  or  a 
handicap  to  a  rural  teacher  in  teaching  agriculture?  Which  is 
most  necessary  to  successful  teaching  of  agriculture — knowledge 
or  desire  to  find  out?  What  would  be  the  effect  on  the  children 
of  a  country  school  if  the  teacher  admitted  to  them  that  she  did 
not  know  but  desired  to  find  out  a  certain  fact?  This  seems  to  have 
been  the  case  with  Miss  Anderson  and  yet  her  school  seemed  to  have 
gotten  good  results  in  the  study  of  wheat. 


REPORT    OF    THE     COMMITTEE     ON    AGRICULTURE        213 

2.  Is  it  true  that  one  big  problem  in  agriculture  is  enough  to  en- 
gage the  entire  school  and  community?  If  this  is  true,  does  this 
mean  that  texts  in  agriculture  are  unnecessary?  What  should  de- 
termine the  selection  of  agricultural  problems  for  study  by  a  school? 
Were  the  problems  of  these  three  schools  well  selected? 

3.  Is  there  a  cultural  value  in  agriculture?  If  so,  where  is  the 
cultural  value  in  these  three  illustrations?  jMight  one  teacher  and 
group  of  children  get  culture  from  such  a  study  and  another  not  do 
so?  What  would  make  the  difference? 

4.  Mr.  Goode  thinks  that  the  teachers  should  be  members  of 
the  County  Farm  Bureau.  For  whose  benefit — the  teachers',  the 
farmers',  or  whose?  What  could  teachers  do  in  such  an  organiza- 
tion? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Teaching  the  Common  Branches — Charters.    Chapter  XIV. 
Country  Life  and  the  Country  School — Carney.    Chapter  IX. 
The  Teacher,  the  School,  and  the  Community — McFee.   Chapter 
XVII. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE    COMMUNITY   ORGANIZES 

March  lo 
My  dear  Hilda: 

I  have  just  returned  from  Warren  where  the  Demonstra- 
tion Supervisory  Zone  held  an  organization  meeting  for 
social  and  business  purposes. 

At  the  close  of  my  last  letter,  I  told  you  that  Mr. 
Goode  had  said  that  he  thought  the  teachers  should 
be  members  of  the  County  Farm  Bureau.  Well,  that  was 
his  idea  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment  but  when  he  left 
that  meeting,  he  began  to  think  about  the  idea  and  it 
grew.  It  was  not  long  until  he  had  a  much  bigger  idea 
than  that. 

Mr.  Goode  is  a  man  who  acts  upon  his  ideas.  He  began 
to  use  his  telephone  and  his  automobile  with  a  purpose.  A 
week  ago  to-night  a  committee  of  people  met  in  Warren 
upon  his  call  to  see  what  could  be  done  for  the  southern 
end  of  Gem  County.  Two  dozen  people  were  present — they 
knew  not  for  what,  except  that  Ray  Goode  had  said  that 
they  were  needed  there  to  do  some  important  work. 
Among  the  two  dozen  were  three  teachers,  one  minister, 
the  county  agent,  the  home  demonstration  agent,  the 
county  nurse,  the  local  banker,  the  postmaster,  a  school 
director  from  each  township,  three  ex-soldiers,  three 
farmers,  two  merchants,  the  R.  F.  D.  man,  a  woman  from 
each  of  the  church  societies  of  the  community,  a  woman 

214 


I 


THE     COMMUNITY    ORGANIZES  21$ 

from  each  of  the  other  societies  in  the  community,  and 
others  whom  I  do  not  now  recall. 

As  we  met,  each  one  asked  the  other  why  he  was  there. 
Each  one  replied  that  Mr.  Goode  had  said  that  it  was 
necessary,  that  was  all  he  knew.  Curiosity  was  pretty  high. 
Finally,  when  all  were  present  that  Mr.  Goode  expected,  he 
called  us  to  order  and  said:  "Folks,  I  guess  you  have  all 
been  wanting  to  mob  me  for  getting  you  here  to-night 
without  telling  you  for  what  purpose.  Well,  I  am  going  to 
tell  you  now.  We  folks  down  in  this  end  of  the  county  are 
pretty  good  people.  We  admit  it.  We  don't  mind  work. 
The  fact  is  we  like  work.  I  believe  that  is  one  of  our  diffi- 
culties, we  like  work  too  well.  We  are  doing  more  work 
than  we  are  doing  thinking.  We  have  always  done  that. 
I  think  it  is  about  time  we  began  to  do  some  thinking,  I 
have  been  attending  these  teachers'  meetings  for  the  past 
three  months,  and  they  have  set  me  to  thinking.  Our 
teachers  are  doing  something  this  year  that  they  have  never 
done  before.  They  are  able  to  do  that  because  they  are 
working  together.  The  farmers  have  learned  that  they  can 
do  things  through  the  Farmers'  Union  and  the  County 
Farm  Bureau.  They  can  do  this  because  they  work  to- 
gether in  those  organizations. 

"The  idea  which  has  been  surging  through  my  brain 
ever  since  last  Saturday  at  the  teachers'  meeting  is:  Why 
cannot  all  of  us  people  in  the  south  end  of  the  county  work 
together  for  the  good  of  all  of  us? 

"We  have  present  to-night  someone  to  represent  every 
interest  in  this  end  of  the  county.  I  thought  we  might 
think  over  the  matter  a  bit  and  then  get  the  whole  com- 
munity— and  by  the  community,  I  mean  all  of  the  people 


2l6  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

who  live  in  this  Helping-Teacher  community  which  is 
organized  round  about  Warren — to  come  together  a  week 
from  to-night  and  really  organize  for  some  definite  purpose. 
Now,  talk  right  out  and  say  what  you  think.  What  can  we 
do  that  will  lead  to  something  and  some  place  better  and 
beyond  where  we  are  to-day?" 

Some  thought  one  thing  and  some  another,  but  every 
one  thought  "Amen."  The  soldier  boys  thought  there 
should  be  "something  doing"  at  least  twice  a  week.  They 
said  there  was  "something  doing"  every  night  when  they 
were  in  the  army.  The  farmers  thought  we  should  take  up 
the  matter  of  marketing  and  cooperative  buying.  The 
merchants  thought  that  the  cooperation  between  the  town 
and  the  country  should  be  considered.  The  church  en- 
thusiasts felt  that  the  needs  of  the  church  should  be 
given  unbiased  consideration  by  the  community  to  see  what 
it  had  to  offer.  The  banker  felt  that  a  study  of  thrift  was  a 
worthy  undertaking  for  the  community.  The  teachers  said 
that  the  consolidation  of  schools  and  better  supervisory 
assistance  were  the  things  which  meant  most  to  the  future 
of  the  community.  There  were  a  few  other  suggestions 
made.  Finally,  when  each  one  had  given  vent  to  his  noble 
ideas  and  had  heard  the  claims  of  everyone  else,  Mr.  Goode 
talked  some  more. 

"Folks,"  said  he,  "I  think,  probably,  we  have  done 
enough  for  to-night.  Now,  what  we  want  to  do  is  to  get 
everybody  else  in  the  community  to  thinking  just  as  we 
have  been  thinking  to-night.  Let's  not  organize  or  decide 
on  anything  to-night.  It  has  been  good  for  us  to  come  to- 
gether to  get  our  brain  cells  to  acting  and  our  hearts  to 
beating  in  the  same  time.    If  we  can  all  go  back  to  our  own 


THE     COMMUNITY    ORGANIZES  217 

little  neighborhoods  and  discuss  with  our  families  and 
friends  what  has  been  discussed  here  to-night  and  make 
it  clear  to  everybody  that  nothing  is  decided,  I  believe 
that  a  week  from  now  we  can  get  down  to  business. 
Think  about  the  needs  of  the  south  end  of  Gem  County, 
talk  about  them,  get  your  friends  thinking  and  talking, 
and  let's  come  back  here  a  week  from  to-night.  Get 
everyone  else  to  come  also.  Then,  let's  do  business  for  our 
community." 

We  have  just  done  that  business,  Hilda.  The  largest 
gathering  of  adult  people  that  ever  assembled  at  Warren 
met  there  to-night.  The  topic  for  discussion  was  "What  do 
we  need  in  the  south  end  of  Gem  County?" 

A  report  was  made  by  the  secretary  of  our  last  week's 
meeting  of  what  was  discussed  at  that  time.  The  meeting 
was  then  thrown  open  for  general  discussion.  Usually 
farmers  and  farmers'  wives  are  very  averse  to  talking  in 
pubhc,  but  to-night  it  seemed  that  nearly  everyone  had 
something  to  say.  A  week  of  personal  conversation  in  the 
informal  meetings  of  the  people  in  their  homes  and  on  the 
roads,  and  wherever  they  happened  to  meet,  had  given  them 
an  interest  in  the  subject,  famiharity  with  the  thoughts 
about  it,  and  ease  in  talking  about  it.  They  talked  at  this 
meeting  almost  as  they  would  at  their  own  homes. 

Usually  when  we  have  met  in  such  gatherings,  hereto- 
fore, the  talk  has  been  done  by  some  outside  speakers. 
To-night  the  outside  people  sat  on  the  side-hnes  and  watched 
the  game.  Mr.  Moore  was  there  and  so  were  the  county 
agent,  demonstration  agent,  and  the  nurse,  but  all  they  did 
was  to  say  "Amen."  The  people  did  the  work.  That's 
what  I  call  getting  down  to  bedrock. 


2l8  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

Finally,  when  everyone  had  had  his  "say"  and  was  con- 
vinced that  big  things  could  be  done  if  a  plan  was  made  for 
it  and  everybody  got  behind  it,  Mr.  Goode  said,  "Well, 
folks,  what  shall  we  do?" 

Mr.  Bogle,  the  banker,  arose  and  said:  "Mr.  Chairman, 
it  is  very  plain  to  me  that  the  biggest  interest  of  this 
audience  is  in  the  schools  of  the  community.  It  is  also 
evident  that  more  other  interests  can  be  worked  through 
the  schools  as  agencies  than  through  any  other  agency. 
Good  roads  and  the  schools  are  inseparable.  Better  farming 
and  the  schools  must  go  together  in  the  future.  Our  people 
will  never  learn  to  play,  to  sing,  to  cooperate  on  any  under- 
taking, except  as  they  learn  it  through  our  schools.  Our 
ideals  must  be  the  product  of  our  schools.  The  schoolhouse 
is  the  community's  natural  center  for  all  sorts  of  interests. 
I  move,  therefore,  that  our  first  community  undertaking 
shall  be  to  study  in  a  businesslike  and  impartial  way  the 
organization  of  our  schools  so  as  to  promote  the  general 
interest  of  this  end  of  the  county.  This  will  take  in  prac- 
tically all  of  the  other  interests  of  the  community." 

The  motion  was  seconded,  put,  and  carried  in  less  time 
than  it  takes  to  tell  it. 

"How  shall  we  organize  so  as  to  carry  this  proposition 
through  without  the  objection  of  any  interest  or  faction  in 
our  community  ?  "  asked  the  chairman. 

Mr.  Dunkleman  was  the  first  man  on  the  floor  to  reply. 
Mr.  Dunkleman  is  a  small  man,  getting  a  little  aged,  but 
the  most  enthusiastic  old  man  you  ever  saw.  "Mr.  Chair- 
man," he  said,  "your  point  is  well  made.  We  cannot 
afford  to  have  a  big  idea  like  this  go  on  the  rocks 
because  some  person  or  some  organization  thinks  he  or  it 


II 


THE     COMMUNITY    ORGANIZES  219 

is  not  sufficiently  considered.  We  are  all  more  or  less  selfish 
and  more  or  less  proud.  We  have  a  habit  of  wanting  things 
our  way.  The  only  way  to  prevent  that  is  to  let  everyone 
and  every  organization  feel  that  he  and  it  has  a  part  in  the 
general  community  organization.  I  move,  therefore,  that 
we  have  a  steering  committee  or  executive  council  com- 
posed of  representatives  of  every  organization  in  our 
Demonstration  Zone  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
members  in  the  organization.  In  addition  to  that  I  would 
like  to  move  that  our  helping-teacher,  our  various  county 
ser\'ice  agents,  and  our  R.  F.  D.  man  shall  be  ex-officio 
members  of  the  council." 

The  pros  and  cons  of  the  motion  were  discussed  for  a  bit 
and  then  put  and  carried.  Each  organization  was  instructed 
to  elect  its  member  of  the  executive  council  at  once  and  the 
council  is  to  meet  a  week  from  to-night  for  final  organiza- 
tion. Already  I  can  see  big  things  in  the  distance.  It  was 
generally  agreed  to-night  that  the  council  would  divide  it- 
self into  committees  that  would  work  on  special  interests 
and  report  back  to  the  council  for  general  planning.  The 
committees  will  make  proposals  and  investigations.  The 
council  will  make  decisions. 

The  special  committees  will  probably  be : 

(i)  x\n  educational  committee. 

(2)  A  social  committee. 

(3)  An  industrial  and  commercial  committee. 

(4)  A  committee  on  recreation. 

There  will  probably  be  special  committees  from  time  to 
time  to  do  special  things.  There  may  be  some  permanent 
committees  besides  those  named  above.    From  the  start 


220  SUCCESSFUL     TEACHING    IN     RURAL    SCHOOLS 

we  made  to-night,  I  feel  confident  that  our  beginning  is 
going  to  be  auspicious.  No  one  showed  a  little  or  mean 
spirit  to-night.  I  believe  every  organization  will  elect  its 
wisest  and  most  cooperative  member  to  serve  as  its  mem- 
ber of  the  executive  council.  If  that  is  done,  all  will  be 
well. 

Hilda,  I  used  to  be  lonesome,  professionally.  I  am  not 
lonesome  any  more.  I  used  to  feel  like  a  "school  teacher." 
I  now  feel  like  a  "human  being"  engaged  in  the  business 
of  teaching.  After  this  meeting  to-night,  I  feel  that  all 
of  us  in  this  end  of  the  county  are  engaged  in  the 
same  job — making  a  better  Gem  County,  a  better  Middle 
West,  a  better  America,  a  better  world.  The  only  difference 
between  us  is  just  the  difference  in  the  committee  on  which 
we  are  working.  In  a  broad  sense,  everyone  in  the  commu- 
nity is  apart  of  at  least  one  of  these  committees.  We  are 
all  to  report  our  work  and  our  wish  to  the  Executive 
Council. 

Say,  wouldn't  it  be  fine  if  everyone  in  the  whole  world 
could  get  that  idea  of  his  work  and  his  relation  to  the  other 
fellow's  work? 

Mr.  Goode  was  right  when  he  said:  "We  are  all  good 
folks.  We  admit  it.  We  all  like  to  work.  The  fact  is  we 
like  better  to  work  than  to  think." 

It  seems  to  me  that  we  have  been  going  along  working 
for  ourselves  and  for  our  crowd  without  realizing  that  in  ' 
order  really  to  succeed,  we  must  work  with  others  and 
think  of  the  welfare  of  others.  We  have  been  doing  too  | 
much  work  and  doing  too  little  thinking.  I  think  that  has 
been  especially  true  of  us  rural  people.  As  soon  as  we  begin 
to  think,  we  are  going  to  begin  to  work  together  in  larger 


1 

i 


THE     COMMUNITY    ORGANIZES  221 

and  larger  units.  When  we  do  that,  we  are  going  to  do  more, 
do  it  more  easily  and  with  more  pleasure. 

I  wish  I  could  follow  the  dream  a  little  farther  but  I 
must  cease  my  daydreaming  and  get  some  sleep,  for  the  night 
is  far  spent.   I  am 

At  least  partially  organized, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

1.  Mr.  Goode  seems  to  have  been  able  to  get  all  of  the  people  of 
his  end  of  the  county  to  work  together  to  a  purpose.  Is  there  such 
a  leader  in  every  community?  In  what  did  Mr.  Goode  show  most 
effectively  his  power  of  leadership?  What  are  the  reasons  which 
cause  many  community  leaders  to  fail? 

2.  It  took  two  meetings  for  the  community  to  formulate  a  plan 
for  organization.   What  was  gained  by  waiting? 

3.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  discussion  before  the  organization 
was  decided  upon.  There  were  a  number  of  different  purposes 
expressed  as  worthy  aims  for  the  club.  How  was  a  unified  purpose 
decided  upon  by  a  body  so  diverse  in  its  interests? 

4.  W'as  Mr.  Bogle  correct  when  he  said  that  more  community 
interests  could  be  served  through  the  school  than  through  any 
other  agency?  What  are  the  other  rural  interests  that  can  be 
served  through  a  real  community  school? 

5.  Are  there  any  other  rural  communities  in  America  in  which 
there  are  live,  successful  organizations  which  include  all  of  the 
factors  of  the  community?  How  were  they  organized?  Why  have 
they  succeeded?  W' here  have  they  been  organized  and  failed?  Why 
did  they  fail? 

6.  How  large  should  a  rural  community  be,  in  number  of  people 
and  in  territory,  in  order  to  make  the  most  effective  organization 
for  social  and  economic  purposes?  What  effect  should  roads, 
mountains,  rivers,  etc.,  have  upon  the  organization? 

Successful  T. — is 


222         successful   teaching   in   rural   schools 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Readings  in  Rural  Sociology — Phelan.    Chapter  XIX. 

How  to  Organize  a  Rural  Community — by  Morgan — in  Readings 

in  Rural  Sociology — Phelan. 
Country  Life  and  the  Country  School — Carney.   Chapters  VII  and 

VIII. 
Rural  Life — Galpin. 


CHAPTER  XX 

"health  and  happiness"  hold  full  sway 

March  la 
Dear  Hilda: 

"  Health  and  Happiness  "  have  been  the  magic  words  for 
the  month  and  especially  for  the  week  that  is  just  closing. 
These  have  been  the  words  that  have  lured  us  on  in  our 
work  and  in  our  play.  Mr.  Moore  is  a  practical  psycholo- 
gist. As  I  have  said  before,  he  makes  maximum  use  of 
the  power  of  suggestion.  He  has  found  that  it  is  easy  to 
get  everybody  to  think  about  the  same  thing  at  the  same 
time  and  that  when  everybody  is  thinking  about  the  same 
thing,  it  is  easy  to  get  everybody  to  do  something  about 
that  thing. 

Mr.  Moore  says  that  he  has  observed  the  action  of  a  mob. 
He  says  that  men  participate  in  mob  violence  who  do  not 
believe  in  it,  who  even  bitterly  disapprove  of  mob  methods 
and  abhor  the  results.  They  participate  in  the  mob  simply 
because  they  are  swept  off  their  feet  by  the  crowd  feeling 
and  crowd  action.  He  says  that  if  people  will  do  bad 
things  as  a  result  of  crowd  feeling  and  crowd  action,  they 
will  also  do  good  things  in  the  same  way.  This  "crowd 
action"  is  a  manifestation  of  an  element  that  is  instinctive 
in  man.  Instincts  are  good  or  bad  only  as  they  are  used  to 
good  or  bad  purposes.  This  is  a  principle  on  which  re- 
hgious  revivals  and  political  campaigns  are  conducted. 
This  was  the  principle  which  was  applied  during  the  war  in 

223 


224  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

our  thrift  stamp,  liberty  loan,  and  benevolent  society 
campaigns. 

Very  closely  related  to  this  is  the  power  of  suggestion 
which  is  used  in  advertising.  Take  for  instance  "Hallan's 
Malted  Milk"  or  "Aunt  Jerusha's  Potato  Pone."  After 
one  has  seen  those  advertisements  many  times,  he  comes 
to  feel  that  those  are  just  the  things  needed.  Suggestion 
does  it.  If,  then,  this  group  action  is  an  instinct,  fundamen- 
tal in  man,  if  suggestion  is  the  way  to  create  a  desire  in  man 
for  emotional  ends  or  commercial  needs,  why  should  not 
these  forces  be  used  and  capitalized  in  "putting  over"  the 
educational  ideals  and  getting  the  educational  ends  that 
are  desirable  in  society? 

This  is  the  way  Mr.  Moore  sees  it  and  this  is  the  principle 
which  he  is  putting  to  the  test  in  his  school  work  this  year. 
If  I  am  any  judge,  his  theory  is  a  correct  one.  At  any  rate, 
it  is  working  out  in  the  school  affairs  of  our  little  Demon- 
stration Zone. 

Mr.  Moore  says  that  the  schools  have  the  greatest  op- 
portunity of  any  institution  of  society.  Children  are  the 
most  plastic  part  of  society.  They  are  the  most  susceptible 
to  suggestion.  Suggestions  can  be  transmitted  to  parents 
through  children  better  than  through  any  other  means. 
The  school  reaches  more  directly  a  larger  part  of  every 
community  than  does  any  other  community  agency.  For 
these  reasons,  Mr.  Moore  says  that  if  the  schools  do  not 
get  what  they  need  and  do  not  do  what  they  should,  it  is 
their  own  fault.  It  is  simply  because  they  have  not  capi- 
talized their  natural  advantages  and  advertised  their 
work  and  their  needs.  He  has  so  thoroughly  convinced  me 
of  the  truth  of  this  that  I  am  going  to  cease  wailing  about 


HEALTH    AND    HAPPINESS        HOLD    FULL    SWAY        225 

the  lack  of  public  interest  in  the  needs  and  importance 
of  the  schools.  I  am  going  to  begin  to  wail  about  the  ab- 
sence of  good  practical  psychologists  and  wise  advertisers 
in  the  school  business. 

I  started  to  tell  you  about  our  "Health  and  Happiness" 
campaign  but  got  off  on  the  subject  of  advertising  and 
crowd  psychology.  I  did  that  because  of  the  relation  which 
those  things  have  to  our  "Health  and  Happiness"  work. 

Two  months  ago,  Mr.  Moore  discussed  the  idea  with  us 
at  our  club  meeting.  He  discussed  it  very  briefly  and  then 
suggested  that  we  think  about  it  until  the  next  meeting  and 
that  we  then  be  prepared  to  suggest  how  we  could  make  it 
GO  during  the  month  of  March.  In  The  Zone  Pacemaker 
(that  is  our  school  paper,  I'll  write  you  about  it  later)  for 
February,  he  discussed  the  coming  event — the  "Health 
and  Happiness  Week."  In  the  "  Smiling  Sheet"  (that  is  the 
comic  supplement  to  the  Pace?naker)  of  the  same  issue, 
the  most  common  health  crimes  of  children  were  cartooned 
in  appropriate  fashion.  The  week  of  March  15-20  was 
designated  as  "Health  and  Happiness  Week"  and  there 
was  not  a  single  family  in  any  of  the  fifteen  school  com- 
munities of  the  Demonstration  Zone  who  did  not  KNOW  it, 
had  heard  it  at  least  a  dozen  times  and  possibly  in  a  dozen 
different  ways. 

To  explain  this  I  must  remind  you  that  this  has  also  been 
"Language  Month"  and  we  have  done  all  of  the  language 
stunts  of  which  we  could  think  and  have  related  them  to  the 
big  idea — "Health  and  Happiness."  The  children  have 
entered  fully  into  the  spirit  of  the  campaign.  We  have 
sung  songs  which  breathed  the  spirit  of  happiness  and 
preached  the  gospel  of  health.    We  have  studied  the  lives 


226 


HEALTH    AND    HAPPINESS        HOLD    FULL    SWAY        227 

of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Sophie  B.  Wright,  and  a  score  of 
others  who,  by  their  courage  and  their  effort,  have  im- 
proved themselves  and  blessed  the  world  in  spite  of  an  ini- 
tial physical  handicap. 

The  children  have  daily  brought  to  the  school  interesting 
and  appropriate  material  which  they  have  found  in  their 
home  reading  or  which  their  parents  have  found  for  them. 
The  children  have  been  inspired  to  write  not  only  good 
prose  compositions  but  some  of  them  have  written  some 
excellent  poetry  and  some  snappy,  dehghtful  little  dramas 
relating  to  health.  Many  children  have  written  their  first 
poems  or  first  dramas  during  the  past  month.  Every  school 
community  of  our  group  has  discovered  that  it  has  a  little 
Macaulay,  Milton  or  Shakespeare  who  heretofore  has  been 
mute  and  inglorious.  Community  pride  and  literary 
interest  have  been  multiplied  during  the  past  month  by 
some  large  unknown  quantity.  The  immediate  big  motive 
for  this  literary  effort,  on  the  part  of  the  larger  children 
was  to  see  who  would  have  the  honor  of  creating  something 
which  was  good  enough  to  be  used  as  the  stunt  for  their 
school  at  the  "Health  and  Happiness "  meeting  which  was 
held  for  every  three  schools  in  the  zone. 

On  Friday  of  last  week  all  the  teachers  of  our  zone  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Mr.  Moore  giving  a  detailed  program 
for  his  visits  and  work  for  the  week  (he  always  does  that) , 
and  stating  that  he  would  bring  four  visitors  with  him.  The 
visitors  whom  he  was  going  to  bring  were  County  Agri- 
cultural Agent  Goodman,  County  Home  Demonstration 
Agent  Story,  Dentist  Deere,  and,  most  important  of  all, 
County  Red  Cross  Nurse  MacRea.  He  said  that  they  would 
visit  three  schools  each  day,  observe  the  language  work  in 


228  SUCCESSFUL     TEACHING     IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

each  for  thirty  minutes,  and  would  then  make  a  physical 
examination  of  every  child.  They  would  visit  the  three 
schools  in  this  way.  At  the  second  school  visited,  they 
would  eat  dinner  and  return  to  it  to  hold  the  night  meet- 
ing. They  would  eat  supper  in  the  community  of  the 
third  school  visited  each  day,  and  would  return  to  the 
first  community  visited  each  day  and  spend  the  night  in 


THE    DENTIST   AND    THE    RED    CROSS    NURSE    VISIT   THE    SCHOOL 

it.  He  requested  that  the  visitors  be  distributed  as  much 
as  possible  among  the  people  of  each  community.  The  pur- 
pose of  this  was  twofold:  first,  not  to  prove  a  burden  to 
any  family,  and,  second,  to  be  able  to  visit  with  as  many 
families  as  possible. 

It  is  Mr.  Moore's  belief,  and  I  believe  it  is  sound,  that  one 
of  the  best  ways  to  educate  the  people  as  to  the  work  which 
the  school  is  trying  to  do  and  the  needs  that  the  schools 
have,  is  to  visit  with  them  in  their  homes  and  talk  with 
them  informally.  For  the  past  three  months  he  has  been 
walking  on  his  trips  when  visiting  the  schools.  He  has 
been  living  with  the  people,  eating  and  sleeping  wherever 


HEALTH    AND    HAPPINESS        HOLD    FULL    SWAY        229 

he  happened  to  be  when  the  time  came.  He  has  been  thriv- 
ing on  it  and  the  people  Hke  it.  This  convinced  him  that 
he  could  bring  a  "whole  troupe"  with  him  and  that  the 
people  would  welcome  them.  They  did. 

I  wish  you  might  have  seen  the  children  disputing 
among  themselves  as  to  who  should  entertain  whom.  The 
fellow  who  was  left  out  entirely  was  the  inconsolable  one. 
The  children  were  on  tip-toe  of  expectancy  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  the  "Health  and  Happiness  Troupe,"  as  they 
called  the  visitors.  A  few  months  ago  they  would  have 
been  scared  out  of  their  wits  by  the  thought  of  such  a  visit. 
How  remarkable  is  the  possibility  of  change  in  educational 
and  social  attitude ! 

Mr.  Moore  said  that  their  visits  to  the  schools  were  a 
"progressive,  theatrical,  and  physical  tournament."  The 
ideas  of  good  language  and  good  health  were  always  kept 
in  the  foreground.  After  a  day  of  observation  of  language 
work,  physical  examination  of  the  children,  and  visits 
with  the  people,  the  "troupe"  gathered  at  the  middle 
school  of  the  three  visited  during  the  day  to  conduct  the 
"Health  and  Happiness"  meeting.  They  summed  up  the 
observations  of  the  day,  made  informational  talks  on  health 
and  gave  specific  suggestions  as  to  how  to  keep  healthy. 
The  children  and  the  people  of  the  schools  visited  during 
the  day  were  all  present  to  do,  to  see,  and  to  hear.  Everyone 
present  had  some  part  to  perform  in  making  the  meeting  a 
success,  even  if  it  was  nothing  but  to  stand  up  and  be 
counted  for  his  school. 

The  program  for  the  evening  was  as  follows: 

1.  An  Original  Language-Health  Stunt  by  School  Xo.  i. 

2.  Relation  of  Cooking  and  Eating  to  Health — ]Miss  Story. 


230  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

3.  Relation  of  Teeth  to  Health  and  Happiness — Dr.  Deere. 

4.  An  Original  Language-Health  Stunt  by  School  No.  2. 

5.  Relation  of  Animal  Health  to  Human  Health — Mr.  Gooa- 
man. 

6.  How  to  Keep  Healthy  and  Happy — Miss  MacRea. 

7.  The  Relation  of  Schoolhouses  to  Health  and  Happiness — 
Mr.  Moore. 

8.  Questions  and  Answers  about  Health — The  People,  The 
"Troupe." 

9.  An  Original  Language-Health  Stunt  by  School  No.  3. 

The  next  issue  of  the  Pacemaker  will  contain  a  detailed 
report  of  the  health  situation  as  the  survey  revealed  it. 
Every  child's  status  will  be  given  with  recommendations 
for  his  improvement. 

I  wrote  you  some  time  ago  about  teamwork.  I  did  not 
know  that  my  dream  was  so  soon  to  be  realized,  but  it  has 
been  already.  When  I  saw  those  five  people  who  formed 
the  "Health  and  Happiness  Troupe"  all  centering  their 
efforts  and  the  attention  of  everyone  else  on  one  thing — 
HEALTH — I  realized  that  my  dreams  were  not  nearly  so 
large  as  the  reality.  The  value  of  this  tour,  to  the  life  and 
the  happiness  of  this  community,  is  incalculable.  The 
community  has  been  touched  in  almost  every  vital  spot 
through  this  work  which  was  based  upon  health.  The 
live  stock  industry  was  investigated  and  discussed  by  Mr. 
Goodman;  the  conservation,  preparation,  and  serving  of 
foods,  by  Miss  Story;  the  living  abode  and  the  human 
body,  by  Miss  MacRea;  the  teeth  as  one  of  the  chief 
sources  of  joys  and  sorrows,  by  Dr.  Deere;  and  the  school- 
house  as  the  community's  center  either  for  the  distri- 
bution of  ideas  conducing  to  health  and  happiness  or  for 
the  spread  of  disease  germs  was  presented  by  Mr.  Moore. 


"health   and   happiness      hold   full   sway      231 

These  meetings  have  set  the  people  talking  and  thinking 
about  many  things  which  formerly  were  supposed  to  be 
the  exclusive  possessions  of  the  experts. 

Some  of  the  colleges  and  universities,  I  understand,  are 
conducting  what  they  call  extension  courses.  Judging  from 
the  success  of  this  series  of  meetings,  I  believe  that  any 
county  can  have  its  own  extension  courses  and  can  provide 
its  own  technical  experts. 

The  general  result  of  this  series  of  meetings,  with  the 
things  which  have  been  done  as  incidents  to  them,  is  that 
the  people  are  more  awake  than  ever  before  to  the  human 
side  of  living.  They  see  that  materials  are  but  means  to  a 
living  and  not  the  end  for  which  we  should  labor.  They  see 
the  place  which  the  schools  can  play  and  should  play  as 
an  agency  for  social  betterment.  They  begin  to  realize 
that  for  the  school  to  do  the  big  job  that  is  possible  for  it, 
it— the  school — must  be  a  bigger  institution  in  the  future 
than  it  has  been  in  the  past.  It  must  be  better  supported, 
better  planned,  better  manned,  better  "womaned."  It 
must  be  better  organized,  more  in  keeping  with  sensible 
business  principles.  It  must  be  better  equipped  in  order 
to  do  its  work.  But,  above  all,  it  must  be  directed  by 
people  who  have  broad  vision,  big  soul,  and  boundless 
energy.  They  must  have  vision  broad  enough  to  see 
the  relation  between  cause  and  effect,  immediate  and 
remote  cause,  cause  of  detail  and  cause  of  fundamental 
principle.  They  must  have  soul  big  enough  to  love  all — 
even  the  unthinking,  the  unlovely,  and  the  blindly  antag- 
onistic. They  must  have  energy  great  enough  to  work  on 
and  on,  increasing  in  volume  and  quality  with  the  passing 
of  time. 


232  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

You  see  that  I  am  yet  likely  to  mount  the  platform  or  to 
ascend  into  the  pulpit  if  my  educational  religion  continues 
to  increase. 

Healthily  and  happily, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

1.  Is  it  really  true  that  there  is  an  unconscious  wave  of  thought 
and  feeling  that  passes  from  one  to  another,  particularly  in  crowds? 
What  events  in  our  life  can  be  explained  upon  such  a  theory?  Are 
we  not  governed  more  by  thought  than  by  feeling?  Shovdd  we,  as 
teachers,  give  much  thought  to  a  consideration  of  the  unconscious 
influences  that  prompt  people  to  action? 

2.  Is  Mr.  Moore  right  when  he  says  that  school  people  get 
about  what  they  really  deserve;  that  if  their  salaries  are  not  high 
and  their  school  work  not  appreciated  and  school  needs  not  under- 
stood, they  have  only  themselves  to  blame  for  it?  What  should 
teachers  do  in  order  to  be  able  to  present  their  work  to  the  public 
in  a  way  that  it  will  be  understood  and  appreciated? 

3.  "Health  and  Happiness  Campaign!"  That  is  a  rather  novel 
idea.  I  believe  I  like  that  better  than  to  call  it  a  "Campaign 
Against  Disease  and  Death."  It  had  the  same  purpose,  but  it 
sounds  a  little  more  attractive.  I  think  that  must  be  a  practical 
application  of  crowd  psychology. 

4.  What  is  the  advantage  for  country  service  of  a  "Health 
Troupe"  over  a  lone  health  worker?  Could  such  a  troupe  be  se- 
cured for  such  a  campaign  in  any  county  in  America?  Could  pro- 
fessional men  be  induced  to  join  in  such  a  campaign  without  charge 
for  their  services? 

5.  Martha  seems  so  much  interested  in  "Health  and  Happi- 
ness" that  she  largely  overlooks  the  work  the  children  did  in 
language  work.  To  me,  that  is  the  most  interesting  part  of  the 
story.  Here  they  have  used  a  big  health  crusade  as  subject 
matter  for  written  language  work.  She  has  talked  more  about 
"Health  Troupe"  than  she  has  about   the  work  of  those  little 


HEALTH  AND  HAPPINESS    HOLD  FULL  SWAY    2^T, 

mute  and  inglorious  Miltons.  Why  did  she  not  inclose  some  of 
their  poems,  stories,  or  dramas?  I  wonder  if  I  could  not  get  some 
effective  written  work  in  my  school  by  the  same  plan?  What  would 
be  some  subjects  and  situations  relating  to  health  that  would  inspire 
a  child  to  write  poetry,  drama,  or  prose? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Festivals  and  Plays  in  Schools  and  elsewhere. — Chubb.     Chapters 

II,  IX. 
Social  Control — Ross.    Chapters  XII,  XIV,  XV. 
Social  Psychology — Ross.   Chapters  II,  IV,  V. 
The  Teacher,  the  School,  and  the  Community — McFee.    Chapter 

XIII. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

WHAT   THE   HYGIENE    COMMITTEE    SAID 

Sunday,  March  28 
Dear  Hilda: 

I  had  so  much  to  tell  you  last  week  about  our  "Health 
and  Happiness  Campaign"  that  I  did  not  tell  you  anything 
about  our  last  meeting  held  at  Miss  Black's  school  on 
March  20th. 

We  have  had  a  great  ambition  to  hold  every  meeting 
just  as  we  planned  it  last  September.  During  the  week 
before  the  20th,  we  had  wind  the  like  of  which  I  have  never 
seen  before  even  in  March  in  the  Middle  West.  In  spite  of 
that  we  held  our  "Health  and  Happiness"  meetings  just 
as  planned.  But  the  weather  was  like  the  old  negro  erap- 
shooter's  luck — "it  was  awfully  bad  all  the  week  until 
late  Friday  night,  when  suddenly  it  changed  and — got 
wuss." 

Yes,  a  six-inch  snow  fell  on  Friday  night.  In  spite  of  it, 
Saturday  morning  at  ten  o'clock  the  whole  crowd — teachers, 
children,  interested  patrons,  and  camp  followers — was  at 
Miss  Black's  school.  The  day  was  beautiful.  Every  cloud 
had  disappeared.  Calm  reigned  supreme.  All  seemed  to 
feel  that  this  was  the  winter's  farewell  and  therefore  the 
last  chance  to  have  good  sleigh  rides.  So  there  they  were 
from  all  over  the  zone.  Mr.  Dunkleman  went  over  from 
Warren  and  took  Miss  High  and  a  sleigh  full  of  children  for 
a  demonstration  in  language.     Mr.  Stellmeyer  had  come 

234 


WHAT    THE    HYGIENE     COMMITTEE     SAID  235 

down  with  Miss  Fox  and  her  school  who  demonstrated 
for  us  along  health  hnes.  Mr.  Ransom  had  come  up 
from  Marshheld  with  his  usual  attendants,  and  Mr.  Goode, 
from  the  neighboring  district,  was  up  to  report  on  the  Farm 
Bureau  proposition  which  he  suggested  at  the  last  meeting. 
The  people  of  the  community  in  which  the  meeting  was 
held  were  out  in  force  supplying  the  usual  good  dinner 
which  we  always  have  on  such  occasions. 

Miss  Fox  was  the  chairman  of  the  Hygiene  Committee 
which  made  its  report  in  the  afternoon. 

"You  people  thought  probably  that  the  Hygiene  Com- 
mittee would  not  be  present  to  make  its  report  to-day  on 
account  of  the  weather,"  she  said  by  way  of  introduction. 
"There  is  where  you  are  mistaken.  There  is  no  conflict 
between  deep  snow  and  good  health  in  the  Middle  West. 
The  fact  is,  the  two  go  together.  The  more  it  snows,  the 
more  healthy  we  are. 

"I  feel  that  our  committee  is  the  most  fortunate  of  all 
of  the  committees  appointed  to  study  the  special  subjects 
during  the  year.  We  are  fortunate  because  our  report  came 
last  and  also  because  it  happens  that  this  is  the  month  when 
all  of  us  have  been  thinking  more  or  less  about  this  subject. 

"I  am  a  fanatic  on  the  subject  of  play.  For  this  reason, 
when  we  had  our  committee  meeting  to  decide  upon '  realms 
of  influence,'  I  seized  the  subject  of  'exercise,'  and  told 
the  other  teachers  that  for  me  that  was  a  'vital  interest' 
and  was  not  'subject-  to  arbitration.'  They  were  quite 
agreeable  and  as  a  result  I  have  been  left  to  work  my  own 
will  and  succeed  or  fail  according  to  my  deserts. 

"  Fortunately  for  me,  my  children  are  also  lovers  of  play. 
By  play,  I  mean  to  include  also,  general  physical  exercise. 


236  SUCCESSFUL     TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

"One  of  the  first  accomplishments  of  the  year  for  our 
school  was  to  secure  a  good  graphophone.  This  we  did  by 
having  an  entertainment  at  the  school  at  which  we  cleared 
seventy  dollars.  After  we  got  that  machine,  we  combined 
music  and  exercise. 

"We  secured  some  records  which  were  for  march  time. 
With  these  we  did  all  of  the  marches  and  all  of  the  formal 
exercises  that  called  for  counting  of  'one- two'  time.  Then 
we  got  some  other  records  for  the  folk  dances. 

"We  secured  Miss  Bancroft's  book  on  Plays  and  Games, 
and  a  few  other  books  besides.  From  that  source  we  have 
been  able  to  find  all  the  suggestions  for  exercise,  play, 
rhythm,  and  sport  that  we  needed. 

"  'To  grow  physically  perfect'  has  been  our  goal.  At 
the  beginning  of  our  exercise  work,  each  child  was  carefully 
examined  to  see  where  his  shortcomings  were.  Each  one 
weighed,  measured,  tested  himself  by  all  the  standards  of 
which  we  knew,  to  find  out  how  he  ranked  as  a  physical 
specimen.  There  were  a  number  of  other  things  besides 
exercise  that  were  necessary  to  correct  those  limitations. 
These  we  have  tried  to  do  also.  I  shall  not  discuss  them  since 
they  are  to  be  given  by  Miss  Noel  and  Miss  Walton  as  a 
part  of  their  reports. 

"To  walk,  stand,  and  sit  correctly  were  a  part  of  the 
standards  that  we  set  for  ourselves.  To  exercise  wisely; 
to  enjoy  our  exercise  while  we  were  doing  it  was  also  one  of 
our  standards.  If  we  found  that  we  were  not  getting  as 
much  pleasure  as  we  believed  we  should  out  of  a  game  or  a 
formal  exercise,  we  changed  it  at  once. 

"I  believe  you  will  get  more  pleasure  out  of  this  if  I 
have  my  children  do  some  of  the  exercises  for  you  than  you 


WHAT    THE    HYGIENE     COMMITTEE     SAID 


237 


will  if  I  talk  longer.    I  shall  therefore  have  them  show  you 
three  types  of  exercise  which  we  take  almost  daily. 

'^Swedish  exercises:  The  purpose  of  these  is  chiefly 
corrective  in  nature.  In  this  we  try  to  develop  a  high 
standard  for  form.  The  ideal  which  the  child  has  for  him- 
self in  this  determines  largely  the  value  he  will  get  out  of  it. 
This  constitutes  only  a  small  part  of  our  exercise.    Were 


OUT-DOOR    GAMES    AT    THE    SCHOOL 

this  all  that  we  did,  I  think  the  children  would  soon  tire  of 
it,  for  it  is  too  formal. 

^^ Out-door  and  in-door  games:  These  are,  probably, 
the  very  best  single  form  of  exercise  for  the  children.  In 
these,  the  game  is  the  motive  and  the  exercise  is  secured 
naturally  and  unconsciously.  This  is  best  except  where 
corrective  work  is  needed.  We  try  to  do  most  of  these  games 
out  of  doors.  Sometimes  the  weather  is  too  cold  for  us  to 
play  out  of  doors.   When  it  is,  we  play  inside. 

'^Folk  dances:  The  purposes  of  these  are  two.  They 
give  physical  exercise.  They  provide  rhythm  and  grace 
and  an  appreciation  of  music. 

Successful  T— 16 


238  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

"We  always  take  great  care  to  see  that  the  exercise  is 
taken  under  proper  conditions.  We  make  certain  that  we 
have  the  house  well  ventilated  when  we  are  playing  inside. 
We  make  certain  that  no  child  gets  too  warm  while  taking 
exercise  and  then  cools  suddenly.  'Temperance  in  play  as 
in  other  things'  is  our  motto. 

"The  children  will  demonstrate  each  of  these  types  of 
exercise  and  then  Miss  Noel  will  discuss:  'Food  for  the 
Family.' " 

There  were  two  features  of  the  demonstrations  by  those 
children  which  impressed  me  very  much,  Hilda.  One  was 
that  those  children  were  of  all  sizes,  as  you  would  of  course 
see  in  the  usual  country  school.  In  spite  of  this,  there  was 
fine  teamwork.  The  second  thing  which  struck  me  was  that 
practically  every  child  in  the  group  served  as  a  leader  of 
some  exercise.  Miss  Fox  did  nothing  but  sit  back  and 
say:  "Myrtle,  you  may  lead  this  game."  "Marie,  you  may 
direct  the  next  exercise,"  and  some  other  little  words 
of  guidance;  a  very  good  way  to  educate  leaders  and 
followers  for  a  democracy,  don't  you  think?  I  should  say, 
also,  that  when  these  children  were  preparing  to  demon- 
strate these  games  for  us,  they  were  doing  a  good  project. 
It  was  a  project  of  the  type  in  which  physical  skill  is  the 
desired  goal. 

"Friends,  you  could  look  at  me  with  my  one  hundred 
and  forty-nine  pounds  and  know  that  I  am  interested  in 
this  matter  of '  Food  for  the  Family,'  "  began  Miss  Noel. 

"Food  was  the  first  conscious  interest  that  I  ever  had, 
and  I  doubt  not  but  that  it  will  be  my  last.  I  have  com- 
mitted but  few  sins  of  omission  when  it  comes  to  eating. 
My  sins  have  all  been  sins  of  commission.    I  fear,  though, 


WHAT    THE    HYGIENE    COMMITTEE     SAID  239 

that  eating  has  been  too  often  like  that  of  the  scriptural 
ox,  I  have  eaten  when  I  was  hungry  and  have  been  indiffer- 
ent to  what  I  would  eat  until  I  became  hungry  again.  I 
mean  to  say  that  I  have  not  given  serious,  thoughtful  con- 
sideration to  the  matter  of  foods. 

"What  is  true  of  me,  I  fear,  is  true  of  too  many  of  the 
world's  people. 

"  Our  desire  to  make  money  has  caused  us  in  recent  years 
to  give  much  consideration  to  the  matter  of  feeding  for 
hogs  and  cattle.  Several  years  ago,  even,  any  intelligent 
farmer  could  talk  to  you  in  accurate  and  scientific  terms 
about  the  rations  which  he  was  feeding  to  his  cow  in  order 
to  get  the  best  results  in  milk  and  butter.  He  could  tell  you 
exactly  the  effect  upon  his  hogs,  at  various  ages,  of  different 
sorts  of  foods. 

"This  was  excellent.  It  was  as  it  should  be.  The  tragedy 
of  life,  though,  was  that  his  wife  at  the  same  time  could  not 
discuss  with  accuracy,  equally  scientific,  the  rations  which 
the  family  were  eating  and  should  eat.  The  farmer  knew 
that  his  six- weeks-old  pigs  and  his  six-months-old  hog  should 
have  different  rations.  Too  often  his  wife  did  not  know 
that  her  six-months-old  baby,  her  six-year-old  child,  her 
sixteen-year-old  son,  and  her  sixty-year-old  mother  should 
not  have  the  same  kind  of  a  ration. 

"This  is  the  matter  to  which  we,  in  our  school,  have  been 
giving  our  attention  during  the  last  month.  We  set  out  to 
answer  a  few  questions,  chiefly,  these: 

What  foods  should  people  of  different  ages  eat? 
What  foods  should  they  eat  at  the  different  meals  during  the  day? 
What  is  the  difference  in  what  people  should  eat  in  the  summer 
and  in  the  winter? 


24©  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

What  quantities  should  people  eat  at  different  ages  and  while 
doing  different  kinds  of  work? 

"In  order  to  make  this  matter  concrete  for  us,  we  have 
devised  a  series  of  charts  which  we  keep  hanging  in  our 
schoolroom.  We  have  watched  them  grow.  Those  charts 
we  have  named  as  follows : 

One:    Baby. 

Two:    Bill 

Three:    Brother  Tom. 

Four:    Dad. 

Five:    Mother. 

Six:    Grandmother. 

"We  have  taken  up  each  of  these  and  have  found  out  all 
that  we  could  as  to  the  kind  and  quality  of  food  needed. 
How  should  it  be  eaten?  When  should  it  be  eaten?  How 
much  of  it  should  be  eaten  by  each?  From  these  studies, 
friends,  I  think  that  we  have  been  able  to  revolutionize 
the  eating  of  our  community  for  the  present.  I  think  that 
these  children  who  have  helped  to  make  this  study  will 
remember  these  lessons  throughout  their  lives  and  pass 
them  on  to  the  next  generation.  I  shall  ask  six  of  my 
pupils  to  tell  you  about  these  six  charts." 

The  children  told  their  stories  with  so  much  confidence 
and  ease  that  it  was  amusing.  To  hear  a  child  who  is  only 
in  the  second  grade  talking  about  sugars,  fats,  carbohy- 
drates, proteids,  etc.,  as  he  would  about  eggs,  meat,  butter 
and  milk  was  too  amusing  for  words.  What  impressed 
me  was  that  they  seemed  to  understand  those  terms  which 
we  think  of  as  technical,  just  as  well  as  they  did  the  terms 
which  we  think  of  as  non- technical.    It  shows,  Hilda, 


WHAT    THE     HYGIENE     COMMITTEE     SAID  241 

that  we  do  not  usually  give  children  credit  for  as  much 
intelligence  as  they  really  have.  I  sometimes  think  that 
it  is  we  adults  who  are  really  lacking  in  intelligence. 

Miss  Walton  spoke  next.    She  said  in  part: 

"I  was  trained  in  the  old  school  of  pedagogy.  Then,  we 
used  to  memorize  everything.  Such  a  discussion  as  this 
which  we  have  just  had  on  the  subject  of  foods  and  their 
effects  upon  the  body  would  have  been  impossible  in  the 
school  where  I  studied  what  we  called  'Physiology.' 

"In  that  day,  no  stress  was  placed  upon  what  people  did. 
All  stress  was  placed  upon  what  people  knew.  I  recall  that 
in  church  affairs  in  those  days,  the  stress  was  placed  upon 
what  people  believed,  not  upon  what  they  did.  In  later 
times,  we  have  reversed  our  methods  very  much.  We  seem 
not  to  care  now  what  people  believe  or  even  what  they  know. 
We  are  interested  only  in  what  they  do.  Well,  in  health 
matters  at  any  rate,  I  am  convinced  that  this  is  the  better 
plan. 

"When  I  was  a  youngster,  I  could  name  every  item  of  the 
body  from  the  marrow  in  the  bones  up  to  the  nails  and  the 
hair.  What  good  it  has  ever  done  me,  I  am  not  now  able  to 
tell.  I  have  not  even  been  able  to  startle  any  of  my  friends 
by  calling  off  the  names  of  the  bones. 

"What  people  do  is  determined  chiefly  by  habits.  Since 
I  became  conscious  of  that  fact,  I  have  been  devoting  myself 
to  creating  in  children  those  habits  which  I  think  most 
necessary  to  good  health.  The  knowledge  that  these  chil- 
dren have  just  shown  about  the  different  foods  which  the 
body  needs  at  the  different  ages  is  very  interesting,  indeed. 
It  will  never  do  anyone  any  good,  though,  unless  it  is  put 
into  practice  in  the  homes  of  the  people  three  times  every 


242  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

day.  This  knowledge  must  become  a  sort  of  second  nature 
to  the  family  in  order  to  be  effective. 

"In  our  school,  therefore,  we  have  asked  ourselves: 
What  habits  will  be  most  conducive  to  good  health? 

"We  have,  after  careful  study,  decided  that  they  are: 

One:    Habits  of  cleanliness. 
Two:    Habits  of  regularity. 
Three:    Habits  of  proper  eating. 
Four:    Habits  of  proper  sleeping. 
Five:    Habits  of  correct  posture. 

"In  order  to  form  habits,  there  must  be  much  repetition 
with  attention  to  the  essentials  until  the  habit  is  fixed. 
We  may  know  that  a  practice  has  become  a  habit  when  we 
are  much  more  comfortable  while  doing  it  than  we  are  when 
we  omit  it.  To  do  anything  in  the  usual  way  is  usually 
pleasing  and  satisfying.  To  do  anything  in  an  unusual  way 
is  usually  displeasing  and  annoying. 

"  Now,  in  order  to  get  this  great  amount  of  desired  repeti- 
tion without  its  becoming  annoying,  there  needs  to  be 
something  to  take  the  attention  off  the  thing  itself,  and 
to  center  it  on  some  other  secondary  interest.  That 
secondary  interest  is  better  when  it  is  a  game.  We  have  been 
trying  to  fix  these  health  habits  through  games,  during  the 
past  month  especially. 

"We  are  forming  our  habits  by  becoming  Health  Cru- 
saders. There  is  promotion  in  the  ranks  of  the  Crusaders 
according  to  the  number  of  things  that  the  child  has  done 
systematically.  You  are  all  famihar  with  the  plan.  I  shall 
not  discuss  it.  The  one  point  which  I  do  wish  to  emphasize 
is  that  the  teacher  and  the  parent  must  realize  that  there  is 
no  honor  in  the  child's  winning  a  badge.   The  honor  comes 


WHAT    THE    HYGIENE     COMMITTEE     SAID  243 

in  forming  a  correct  habit  of  health  so  that  it  will  never 
forsake  him. 

"Bad  habits  hurt  us  and  we  must  avoid  them.  We  must 
break  them  up  when  we  find  that  they  have  been  formed. 
But  we  must  realize  also  that  there  are  good  habits.  These 
good  habits  do  serve  our  bodies  well  and  good  habits  may 
even  save  our  souls.  So,  let's  form  good  habits  in  the  lives 
of  our  pupils  if  we  would  do  most  for  them  now  and  here- 
after." 

This  last  little  talk  was  quite  a  sermon  to  me.  I  have 
heard  so  much  in  recent  years  against  memorizing  and 
against  doing  things  in  a  habitual  way,  that  I  had  come  to 
have  a  sort  of  scorn  for  habit.  But  I  can  see  the  point  that 
Miss  Walton  made.  I  now  realize  that  there  is  probably 
some  very  good  reason  for  the  existence  of  anything  that 
has  ever  existed.  It  was  the  survival  of  the  fittest  at  some 
time  and  for  that  reason  justifies  our  respectful  considera- 
tion. One  of  the  habits  which  we  should  all  have,  I  presume, 
is  the  habit  of  investigation,  of  testing  out  whatever  is  sub- 
mitted to  us  to  see  what  in  it  is  good. 

Standing  erect,  shoulders  back,  chin  up  and  feeling  proud, 
I  am 

Faithfully, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

I.  The  "health  and  happiness  campaign"  was  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  the  health  facts,  and  making  the  public  conscious 
of  them.  The  purpose  of  the  work  about  which  Misses  Fox,  Noel 
and  Walton  told  seems  to  have  been  to  fix  habits  of  conduct.  Which 
is  the  more  important?  Can  they  be  separated?  Should  they  be 
separated?   Ever?   When?  Why? 


244  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

2.  Are  games  really  a  better  form  of  exercise  for  children  than 
are  formal  exercises?  What  are  the  reasons  to  be  urged  for  and 
against  this  contention?  What  are  the  most  suitable  games  for 
children  to  play  indoors  on  cold  days?  What  are  the  most  suitable 
games  for  the  playgrounds?    Why  are  these  games  suitable? 

3.  Is  music  really  a  help  to  physical  exercise?  In  what  ways  is  it 
most  helpful?  What  are  some  folk  games  and  folk  songs  that  are 
suitable  for  school  purposes?  What  books  contain  these  songs  and 
games?  Have  we  any  American  folk  games  and  folk  songs  that  are 
suitable  for  such  purposes?  How  can  the  teacher  be  most  effective 
in  promoting  joyous  songs  and  games? 

4.  Is  it  true  that  a  family  could  know  what  to  eat  and  yet  not 
have  the  proper  menu?  Is  the  practice  of  varying  the  food  a  matter 
of  habit  just  as  is  brushing  the  teeth  or  bathing?  Does  not  one's 
supply  of  food  materials  determine  the  menu  more  than  does  habit? 

5.  Is  there  any  advantage  in  making  posters,  which  bear  the 
needed  information  about  foods,  over  having  the  children  read  the 
same  information  from  the  books?  What  advantage  comes  from 
having  the  posters  named  for  different  members  of  the  family? 

6.  Is  it  true  that  knowledge  of  the  anatomy  of  the  body  is 
unnecessary  for  the  safeguarding  of  one's  health?  When  should  the 
habits  for  safeguarding  health  be  formed?  Did  Miss  Walton  center 
the  attention  of  the  school  upon  the  fixing  of  the  most  important 
health  habits?   What  would  I  add  to  the  list? 

7.  Are  games,  races,  rewards,  etc.,  legitimate  as  means  by  which 
to  fix  health  habits?  Do  I  know  of  instances  where  habits  were 
fixed  in  this  way?  Does  the  custom  cease  when  the  game  is  over? 
When  bad  habits  are  already  fixed,  what  is  the  best  way  to  break 
them  up  and  establish  correct  ones  in  their  place? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

Games   for   the   Playground,   Home,    School   and    Gymnasium — 

Bancroft. 
Teaching  the  Common  Branches — Charters.    Chapter  XIII. 
The  Science  and  the  Art  of  Teaching — La  Rue.   Chapter  V. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

SPELLING   AND   THE   FORMING    OF   HABITS 

April  1 8 
Dear  Hilda: 

Learning  to  spell  is  forming  a  habit.  It  is  just  like  learn- 
ing to  write,  learning  the  multiplication  table,  the  forty-five 
combinations,  or  to  drive  a  Ford.  A  certain  thing  must  be 
done  in  a  certain  way.  Great  attention  has  to  be  given  to 
it  in  the  beginning  until  the  way  of  doing  it,  the  process,  is 
learned.  Then  it  can  be  largely  dismissed.  One  can  do  it 
without  thinking.  The  interesting  thing  to  me  about 
forming  a  habit  is  the  conditions  under  which  it  is 
formed  most  easily  and  most  effectively.  The  more  in- 
terest a  pupil  has  in  what  he  is  learning,  the  more  atten- 
tion he  gives  to  the  details  of  what  he  is  doing,  the  nearer 
he  comes  to  doing  it  in  exactly  the  right  way,  and  in  the 
same  way  each  time — I  say,  the  more  nearly  he  follows 
these  conditions,  the  more  quickly  and  effectively  the  habit 
is  formed. 

We  have  been  having  our  second  round  of  emphasis  on 
spelling.  I  wrote  you  last  winter  of  our  spelling  match 
which  was  based  on  the  Gem  County  historical,  social,  and 
agricultural  words.  The  purpose  of  that  match  was  chiefly 
for  fun  and  to  develop  a  group  consciousness  among  the 
people  in  our  zone.  It  also  served  to  develop  an  intelligent 
interest  in  agriculture.  It  was  the  basis  for  much  excellent 
work  along  language  lines  but  its  most  serious  purpose  was 

245 


246  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

to  develop  a  group  consciousness  and  a  social  consciousness 
among  the  schools  and  people  of  our  zone. 

The  purpose  of  the  recent  spelling  work  has  been  entirely 
different.  Its  sole  purpose  has  been  to  teach  spelling  and 
to  form  the  habit  of  spelling  correctly.  I  did  not  know  until 
this  month  that  we  do  not  need  to  have  the  habit  of  spelling 
correctly  very  many  words.  I  had  always  thought  of  the 
unabridged  dictionary  as  the  real  spelling  book,  all  the 
words  of  which  one  should  really  aspire  to  be  able  to  spell. 
When  I  began  to  inform  myself  on  the  subject,  I  found  that 
this  was  far  from  true.  I  found  that  we  need  to  know  how  to 
spell  automatically — that  is  without  having  to  think — only 
those  words  which  we  use  in  writing,  and  very  few  people 
write  very  many  words.  A  number  of  investigations  have 
been  made  which  show  that,  in  ordinary  correspondence, 
only  about  a  thousand  different  words  are  used.  Some 
words  are  used  a  great  deal,  others  are  seldom  used.  Most 
words  are  used  so  seldom  by  most  people  that  it  is  a  waste 
of  time  and  energy  for  them  to  be  taught  in  the  schools. 
Professor  Pryor  has  made  a  study  of  a  dozen  or  more  of  these 
lists  and  has  picked  out  the  words  which  have  occurred 
most  often  in  them.  He  has  put  all  of  these  words  into  a 
list  which  he  calls  "A  Minimal  Spelhng  List."  It  is  this 
list  of  words  which  we  have  been  working  on  during  the 
month  which  closed  yesterday.  There  are  twelve  hundred 
and  fifty-three  words  in  the  entire  Hst — beginning  with 
words  for  the  second  grade  and  ending  with  words  for  the 
eighth  grade. 

The  month  of  work  closed  yesterday  with  a  big  Zone 
Spelling  Match  held  at  Marshfield.  We  have  had  the  match 
as  one  of  the  goals  of  the  month  with  which  to  motivate  the 


SPELLING    AND    THE    FORMING     OF    HABITS  247 

work.  There  have  been  other  motivators,  to  be  sure,  but  a 
spelling  match  in  prospect  is  one  of  the  best  things  with 
which  to  put  "p^P"  i^to  a  youngster's  work.  He  thinks 
that  he  is  getting  ready  to  compete  with  his  fellows  in  a 
human  contest  but  the  teacher  knows  all  the  while  that  he 
is  fixing  a  spelling  habit  which  will  go  with  him  through  life. 

The  words  in  the  list  are  arranged  according  to  grades 
and  every  child  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  spell  all  the  words 
listed  for  his  grade  and  the  grades  below  it.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  many  of  the  children  learned  to  spell  many  of  the  words 
in  the  lists  that  were  three  years  beyond  them.  They  were 
not  asked  to  do  so  but  they  did  it.  I  have  second-grade 
children  who  can  spell  practically  all  words  up  through 
the  fifth  grade  list.  It  has  been  amusing  to  watch  the 
children  during  the  month — they  have  practically  lived 
with  their  spelling  lists. 

I  am  persuaded  that  the  children  have  learned  more 
about  spelling  during  the  past  twenty  days,  that  will 
really  function  in  their  lives,  than  they  have  in  many 
times  that  amount  of  time,  heretofore.  You  see  they 
have  had  all  of  the  conditions  present  and  operating  that 
were  necessary  to  the  formation  of  a  habit.  To  begin  with, 
there  was  great  interest  in  the  thing  they  were  doing. 
Nothing  can  take  the  place  of  interest  in  the  thing  that  is 
being  made  habitual.  Then  we,  the  teachers,  have  done 
our  best  to  teach  the  spelling  in  an  effective  manner.  We 
have  tried  to  make  strong,  vivid,  initial  impressions  when 
the  words  were  new.  We  have  tried  to  break  up  old  habits 
of  incorrect  spelling  and  form  new  habits  which  would  be 
strong  and  satisfying.  The  work  has  been  so  conducted 
that  the  children  have  had  much  repetition  of  each  word 


248 


SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 


but  with  such  variety  that  there  was  always  attention  on 
the  part  of  the  children  to  the  elements  involved.  We  have 
never  permitted  an  exception  to  occur  in  the  correct  spelling 
of  a  word,  if  it  was  possible  to  prevent  it.  We  have  em- 
phasized these  features  so  consistently  that  even  children  in 
the  second  grade  can  tell  you  as  well  as  I  can  just  what  is 
necessary  to  form  a  good  habit  in  spelling,  and  probably 


THE       GOPHER-KILLING   CAMPAIGN 


even  better  than  I  have  in  the  preceding  discussion  of  that 
subject. 

Mr.  Moore  brought  with  him  on  his  visit  this  week  the 
county  agricultural  agent.  The  agent  wanted  to  present 
to  the  people  the  necessity  of  and  the  means  for  killing  the 
gophers  which  are  about  to  take  the  county.  "They  will 
get  us  if  we  do  not  get  them  first, "  says  Mr.  Goodman. 

After  he  saw  the  interest  that  the  people  took  last  month 
in  the  "Health  and  Happiness  Campaign,"  Mr.  Moore 
decided  to  put  on  during  this  month  a  "  Gopher-KiUing 
Campaign"  in  connection  with  a  series  of  small  spelling 
matches.  So,  each  night  during  the  week,  he  and  Mr. 
Goodman  held  a  meeting  at  a  schoolhouse  centrally  lo- 


SPELLING    AND    THE     FORMING     OF    HABITS  249 

cated  to  which  came  the  people  from  three  or  more 
schools.  The  children  came  together  to  have  a  preliminary- 
match  to  get  in  trim  for  the  final  match  which  was  held 
yesterday.  The  adults  came  to  witness  the  spelling  and 
hear  about  the  plan  to  kill  the  gophers. 

The  meeting  started  promptly  at  eight  o'clock  with 
community  singing  of  patriotic  and  rural  songs.  Mr. 
Goodman's  talk  was  brief,  businesslike,  to  the  point,  and 
provocative  of  immediate,  sensible  and  cooperative  ac- 
tion. The  spelling  bee  was  brief  but  productive  of  big 
enthusiasm  for  the  Marshfield  match.  Enthusiasm,  you 
know,  is  a  cumulative  thing — if  it  is  properly  cultivated. 
Fuel  must  be  added  to  the  flame  at  appi  opriate  times  and 
in  proper  amounts.  These  little  matches  were  just  the  thing 
to  fan  the  spark  of  enthusiasm  into  a  flame  for  the  big 
meeting  held  yesterday. 

The  real  event  of  the  year,  the  one  which  brought  to  a 
close  Mr.  Moore's  supervisory  work,  as  such,  came  yester- 
day. It  was  a  fitting  conclusion.  Every  school  was  present 
in  full  force  when  the  written  contest  between  the  children 
in  the  third,  fourth  and  fifth  grades  began.  Mr.  Moore 
believes  in  contests  in  school  work.  He  thinks  that  in- 
dividual contests  should  be  a  very  minor  part  but  that 
group  contests  are  very  wholesome.  In  group  contests, 
the  stronger  individual  works  not  so  much  that  he,  in- 
dividually, may  win,  but  that  his  group  may  win.  Better 
still,  the  stronger  members  of  the  group  areimpelled  to  help, 
boost,  train,  discipline  the  weaker  and  less  self-reliant  and 
less  self-controlled  members  of  the  group. 

In  order  to  accomplish  this  result,  Mr.  Moore  divided 
the  schools  of  the  zone  into  two  groups.    All  east  of  the 


250  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

railroad  constituted  the  Blues,  all  west  of  it  were  the 
Whites.  Each  child  appeared  at  the  match  with  his  colors 
indicated  by  a  band  around  his  left  arm.  The  children 
entered  the  written  and  oral  contests,  with  a  spirit  of 
group  loyalty,  of  self-control,  of  respect  for  a  worthy  rival 
that  would  have  done  honor  to  a  well-disciplined  army  of 
any  nation.  They  were  not  wishing  for  anyone's  defeat, 
they  were  wishing  only  for  their  own  victory.  They  wanted 
their  rivals  to  do  well — very,  very  well,  otherwise  they 
would  think  their  own  victory  cheap  and  meaningless. 

The  contests  were  over  at  noon.  The  averages  of  the 
two  groups  for  the  written  contests  differed  less  than  one 
per  cent  and  the  oral  contests  were,  in  their  way,  equally 
close.  This  showed  that  the  ability,  the  interest,  and  the 
application  of  the  children  in  the  two  groups  of  schools 
had  been  about  alike  and,  judging  from  my  own  school, 
the  interest  and  application  must  have  been  very  keen. 

The  noon  hour  was  a  delightful  one  in  which  people  met 
who,  through  the  Zone  Pacemaker,  had  been  hearing  of 
each  other  all  of  the  year.  They  joked  about  their  defeats 
and  their  victories.  They  talked  about  how  the  work  had 
differed  this  year  from  the  work  of  previous  years.  They 
gathered  in  little  groups  to  make  plans  for  the  future  and 
to  express  regrets  that  Mr.  Moore  is  not  going  to  continue 
in  the  work  next  year  because  he  is  going  back  to  the 
University. 

The  afternoon  session  was  something  in  the  nature  of 
a  love  feast.  Mr.  Moore  had  a  number  of  prominent 
educators  present  who  brought  greetings  and  good  wishes 
for  the  schools.  Each  of  the  schools  had  brief  farewell 
programs. 


SPELLING    AND    THE    FORMING    OF    HABITS  25 1 

The  most  touching  part  of  the  program  was  that  in  which 
the  children,  patrons,  and  teachers  expressed  to  Mr.  Moore 
their  appreciation  for  his  service  during  the  year.  It 
was  not  a  very  lengthy  or  wordy  ceremony  but  enough,  per- 
haps, to  make  it  possible  for  him  to  know  now  and  re- 
member throughout  his  life,  that  he  is  appreciated  and 
loved  by  the  people  with  whom  he  has  been  associated. 

The  meeting  closed  with  "glad  to  have  met  you"  and 
"come  to  see  us  again"  and  a  hundred  evidences  of  a  new 
social  outlook,  a  broadened  educational  vision,  and  a  finer 
sense  of  social  solidarity  than  we  have  ever  had  in  this  end 
of  our  county  before. 

I  came  home  last  night  feeling  that  it  is  a  great  thing 
to  create  in  people  the  correct  habits  of  spelling,  writing, 
and  doing  arithmetic,  but  that  it  is  a  much  bigger  thing, 
if  at  the  same  time,  we  can  form  correct  habits  of  thinking 
and  feeling  about  the  great  fundamental  relations  with 
people.  After  all,  that  is  the  big  job  for  us  teachers. 

In  habit-forming  mood, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

1.  Martha  seems  determined  to  impress  me  with  the  importance 
of  forming  correct  habits.  Is  there  any  difference  in  the  way  cor- 
rect and  incorrect  habits  are  formed?  Are  the  principles  the  same 
for  the  formation  of  habits  of  correct  spelling,  writing,  and  speaking 
as  for  skating,  dancing  and  driving  a  car?  What  is  the  difference? 
Can  I  state  what  the  principles  are,  upon  which  a  habit  is  con- 
sciously formed? 

2.  What  are  some  of  the  spelling  investigations  with  which  I, 
as  an  elementary  teacher,  should  be  familiar?  What  are  the  prin- 
ciples that  determine  what  words  should  be  learned  by  the  children 
of  the  elementary  grades? 


252  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING     IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

3.  To  what  extent  are  spelling  matches  justifiable?  How  should 
they  be  conducted  to  be  most  helpful?  What  are  some  of  the  pos- 
sible dangers  of  spelling  matches?  How  may  those  dangers  be 
avoided? 

4.  May  the  principles  upon  which  the  spelling  match  is  based 
be  applied  to  other  subjects?  To  which  subjects  most  easily?  To 
which  is  it  most  difficult? 

5.  Mr.  Moore  had  the  county  agent  talk  at  the  small  spelling 
matches  about  killing  gophers.  That  seems  to  me  a  bit  incongruous. 
To  what  extent  is  it  feasible  to  introduce  other  interests  at  the  time 
of  such  a  meeting?    How  would  he  justify  his  action  in  this  case? 

6.  What  does  a  faithful  public  servant  most  appreciate  from 
those  whom  he  has  served? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

How  to  Teach — Strayer  and  Norsworthy.    Chapter  IV. 
Eighteenth  Year  Book — Spelling — Horn.     Part  II.     National  So- 
ciety for  the  Study  of  Education. 
A  Guide  to  the  Teaching  of  SpelHng — Pryor  and  Pittman. 
The  Teaching  of  Spelling — Tidyraan. 


1 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

MARTHA  TELLS  OF  THE  NEWSPAPER — The  Zoue  Pacemaker 

April  25 
Dear  Hilda: 

Some  time  ago  I  promised  you  that  I  would  write  you 
about  our  little  newspaper — The  Zone  Pacemaker.  As  I 
have  said  before,  it  is  Mr.  Moore's  belief  and  contention 
that  if  school  people  expect  the  general  public  to  support 
their  policies,  they  must  be  sure  that  the  public  knows  what 
those  policies  are.  For  this  reason  he  says  that  a  school 
newspaper  is  practically  necessary.  That  is  the  way  that 
other  institutions  get  their  programs  for  development  before 
the  public.  Why  not  the  school  also?  Every  factory  to-day 
lias  a  newspaper  for  its  employees.  Even  the  hotels  get  out 
little  weekly  papers  telling  about  the  employees  and  the 
guests.  This  makes  the  cook,  the  fireman,  and  the  chamber- 
maid feel  that  they  are  really  in  the  big  game  of  life  when 
they  see  their  names  on  the  same  pages,  perhaps,  with  the 
name  of  the  president  who,  perchance,  is  a  guest  at  the 
hotel. 

So  convinced  was  Mr.  Moore  of  the  wisdom  of  such  a 
plan  that  he  decided  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  that  the 
Demonstration  Zone  should  have  a  paper.  One  of  the  first 
and  most  important  questions  that  confront  anyone  who 
has  determined  to  estabhsh  a  paper  is  to  find  a  suitable 
name  for  it.  The  name  is  supposed  to  suggest  the  general 
purpose  and  spirit  of  the  paper.    We  see  this  idea  carried 

Successful  T— 17  253 


254  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

out  by  such  names  as  The  Times — The  Sun — The  Globe — ■ 
The  World — The  Courier  and  The  Tribune.  Among  papers 
established  for  children,  we  have  such  names  as  The 
Messenger— The  Visitor  and  The  Children  s  Herald. 

Mr.  Moore  said  that  he  had  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  in 
finding  a  name  which  was  satisfactory.  He  did  not  want  to 
call  it  by  a  name  which  might  have  been  used  by  a  hundred 
other  papers.  He  wanted  it  to  mean  something  to  this 
particular  group  of  children.  He  said  that  he  would  like 
to  have  had  the  children  themselves  name  the  paper  but 
since  the  circumstances  did  not  make  that  possible,  he 
chose  a  name  which  he  thought  would  appeal  to  them. 
From  the  title  you  can  see  what  he  hoped  it  to  be — the 
pacemaker  for  the  zone.  As  I  look  back  over  the  work  of 
the  year,  I  can  see  that  it  has  fulfilled  that  hope. 

Doubtless,  Mr.  Moore  hoped  that  it  would  influence  the 
teachers  and  parents  of  the  zone,  but  his  chief  purpose  was 
to  influence  the  children.  He  has  tried  to  have  them  feel 
that  it  was  their  paper.  While  the  paper  has  set  up  stand- 
ards for  the  children,  told  about  the  teachers'  meetings  and 
published  items  of  interest  to  the  parents,  it  has  always  con- 
tained a  Contributors'  Section  in  which  the  children 
themselves  told  what  they  were  doing  or  anything  else  of 
interest  to  them. 

Every  four  weeks  the  paper  has  appeared.  At  the  top 
of  the  page  was  the  title  and  the  subject  emphasized 
for  the  month  and  the  one  to  be  emphasized  for  the 
next  month.  To  the  left  appeared  for  whom  it  was  pub- 
lished and  to  the  right  a  few  suggestive  questions  for 
the  stimulation  of  the  children.  The  following  will  give 
you  the  idea: 


The   Zone   Pacemaker  255 

^^^*^"^"^~— ™"^^^""**^'^~'™^*'~"™^^  How  fast  can  you 

Published  every  four  NOW  read  silently? 

weeks  for  the   plea-            j f^^    ^^^^^    PaCemakcr  """'y^u  rlad^"^ 


sure  and  benefit   of 


How  FULLY  do  you 


the  boys  and  girls  of   The  Reading-Language  Number   ,,  get  the  thought? 

the  Helping-Teacher  o  o       o  ^^  j^^j  ^^.g  y^^^  ^^^^ 


common  errors  in 


Demonstration  Zone,  speech? 

Gem  County.  NOVEMBER   17-22  GET  them  THIS 


month. 


The  paper  has  grown  larger,  more  interesting,  and  more 
helpful  with  each  succeeding  issue.  Perhaps  I  cannot  pre- 
sent the  plan,  the  character,  and  the  purpose  of  it  in  a  better 
way  than  to  quote  the  first  two  paragraphs  of  the  first 
issue : 

How  do  you  do,  boys  and  girls?  I  am  your  newspaper.  My 
name  is  The  Zone  Pacemaker.  That  is  just  what  I  hope  to  be 
during  this  year — a  real  pacemaker,  for  every  boy  and  girl  in  the 
Demonstration  Helping-Teacher  Zone.  I  shall  try  to  tell  you  each 
month  the  interesting  things  that  are  being  done  by  the  boys  and 
girls  in  the  fifteen  schools  that  form  the  'Zone,"  as  the  territory 
will  be  called.  Those  fifteen  schools  are  located  around  Warren, 
in  the  south  end  of  Gem  County.  Each  of  you  will  know  very  soon 
the  names  of  all  of  the  children  in  all  of  these  schools.  I  shall  publish 
aU  of  their  names  and  tell  to  what  school  they  belong.  You  wiU 
probably  meet  all  of  them  at  some  meeting  before  the  year  ends. 

I  am  wondering  if  you  will  be  glad  to  see  me  each  month.  I 
shaU  tell  you  how  weU  the  boys  and  girls  read,  write,  spell,  speak, 
and  do  arithmetic.  By  means  of  those  Standard  Tests  which  yoM 
took  this  week,  you  will  be  able  to  know  how  well  you  can  do  NOW 
in  each  of  those  subjects.  By  means  of  some  tests  which  you  will 
take  next  jMay,  you  will  be  able  to  know  how  much  you  have  grown 
in  each  subject  during  the  year.  I  shaU  tell  you  next  month  how 
YOUR  school  compares  NOW  with  all  of  the  other  schools  and  then 
you  can  see  how  hard  you  will  have  to  work  in  order  to  catch  up 
with  and  keep  up  with  the  best.  Which  school  of  the  fifteen  will 
make  the  greatest  improvement  in  all  of  these  subjects  during  the 
year?  That  is  the  game,  you  see.  Which  school  wiU  have  the  neat- 
est school  building  and  grounds?    Which  will  have  the  best  school- 


2S6  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

room  order?  Which  will  have  the  best  community  spirit?  Which 
will  be  happiest  and  do  the  most  to  make  others  happy?  Well, 
we  shall  see  and  I  shall  tell  each  month  just  what  everybody  is 
doing  and  how  your  friends  and  rivals  are  getting  on.  Mr.  Moore 
is  my  editor  and  he  will  visit  you  each  month  and  see  you  work 
and  help  you  play.  He  will  keep  his  eyes  and  ears  open  and  his 
notebook  close  at  hand  when  he  visits  you,  and  the  good  things  that 
he  sees  I  shall  tell  about  in  the  next  issue.  You  must  do  your  best 
therefore,  not  just  when  he  is  present  but  ALL  the  time  for  he  will 
be  able  to  know  when  you  are  natural  and  when  you  are  not.  Hard 
work  and  fair  play  make  happy  boys  and  girls  every  day. 

These  two  paragraphs  show  the  purpose  and  the  ideals 
which  the  Pacemaker  has  exemplified  throughout  the  year. 
Each  month  it  has  come  with  a  spirit  that  was  joyous, 
a  message  that  was  encouraging,  and  an  ideal  which  set  a 
standard  for  accomplishment.  It  has  presented  facts 
and  purposes  that  were  most  serious,  but  it  has  done  so  in  a 
manner  that  was  light  and  understandable  by  the  youngest 
schoolchild  and  by  the  most  illiterate  parent. 

One  month  it  took  for  its  purpose  the  cultivation  of  an 
ideal  for  schoolroom  attractiveness.  To  do  so,  it  told,  in  the 
form  of  news-stories  (written  by  the  children  in  the  various 
schools), of  the  new  graphophone  that  one  school  had,  the 
fine  copies  of  beautifully-framed  masterpieces  of  art  that 
another  had,  the  well-kept  outbuildings  of  another,  the 
excellent  adjustable  desks  of  another,  the  beautiful  flag 
and  flagpole  of  another,  the  well-selected  and  well- 
arranged  library  of  another,  the  oil  stove  used  for  hot  lunch 
of  another.  So  complete  was  the  composite  school  that  was 
built  up  by  the  truthful  news-stories  that  every  child,! 
teacher,  and  patron  would  naturally  say  to  himself — "Why  j 
not  have  all  of  these  things  in  OUR  school?" 


The   Zone   Pacemaker  257 

For  another  month  the  paper  featured  classroom  prac- 
tices: the  good  singing  of  one  school,  the  orderliness 
with  which  children  passed  to  and  from  recitations,  to  and 
from  the  schoolroom,  about  their  schoolroom  duties — the 
way  the  reading  in  one  school  was  done,  the  high  points 
of  the  penmanship  work  of  another,  and  the  snappy- 
features  of  the  spelling  classes  in  another.  The  net  result 
of  it  all  was  to  make  every  child  want  to  do  all  of  his 
work  just  as  well  as  the  best  of  those  described  did  their 
work.  The  ambition  of  each  pupil  was  for  his  school  to 
receive  recognition. 

In  a  previous  letter,  I  have  referred  to  Mr.  Moore's 
theory  of  securing  improvement  by  suggestion.  I  have 
spoken  of  him  as  the  "supervisor"  but  he  prefers  to  be 
thought  of  as  the  "helping- teacher."  He  says  that  the 
psychological  effect  of  the  term  "supervisor"  is  bad — • 
that  it  suggests  superiority,  authority,  criticism,  while  the 
psychological  effect  of  the  word  "  helping- teacher  "  is  very 
different.  It  suggests  equality,  appreciation,  assistance. 
All  of  his  work  has  been  done  in  keeping  with  this  distinc- 
tion. He  never  talks  about  faults,  mistakes,  failures,  but 
he  is  constantly  praising  somebody's  strong  points,  telling 
of  somebody's  success  and  accompHshments.  Do  you  see 
the  distinction  and  appreciate  the  difference  in  the  effect 
upon  the  children,  the  teachers,  and  the  people?  What 
he  does  is  just  what  you  used  to  do,  Hilda.  I  remember 
if  I  failed  to  put  salt  in  the  cabbage,  you  would  conceal 
the  fact  from  the  men  and  save  and  salve  my  feelings 
by  talking  a  blue  streak  about  how  good  the  beans  and 
the  bread  were.  You  would  say  they  were  seasoned  to 
a  queen's  taste. 


258  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

There  have  been  plenty,  plenty  of  faults  in  the  classroom 
methods  and  schoolroom  situations  of  these  fifteen  schools 
this  year  but  never  a  word  have  we  heard  of  it.  What  we 
have  heard  about  was  the  very  best  and  strongest  elements 
of  each  teacher  and  each  school.  Consequently,  our  daily 
prayer  and  yearning  has  been :  ''  O  Lord,  let  us  be  as  worthy 
as  they.  Let  us  grow  beautiful."  Do  you  see  that  ours  has 
been  a  religion  of  optimism,  of  "striving  for  the  mark  of 
the  high  calhng?"  This  is  far  better  than  a  rehgion  of 
.Pharisaical  pride  or  of  Puritanical  dread  and  fear. 

Not  only  has  the  Pacemaker  told  of  the  things  that 
related  to  the  teachers,  children,  buildings  and  ground,  but 
it  has  told  of  the  social  life  of  the  communities.  Mr. 
Moore  has  visited  with  the  people  as  he  has  performed  his 
work.  He  says  that  he  can  build  more  schoolhouses, 
vote  more  taxes,  and  increase  the  salaries  of  more  teachers 
by  helping  a  farmer  feed  his  Shorthorn  cattle,  or  by  listen- 
ing to  the  story  of  his  special  variety  of  wheat,  than  he  can 
by  making  a  two-hour  speech  at  the  schoolhouse  and  filhng 
the  blackboard  seven  times  with  figures  of  indisputable 
facts.  He  also  says  that  he  can  produce  orderly  conduct 
in  school  on  the  part  of  a  school  board  member's  son  more 
quickly  by  using  a  knife  and  a  fork  on  the  fried  chicken  and 
cream  cake  pridefully  prepared  by  the  school  board  mem- 
ber's wife,  than  he  can  by  advising  the  teacher  to  apply 
a  shillalah  to  the  school  board  member's  prideful  son. 

In  other  words,  he  says,  get  the  confidence  of  the  parent 
and  through  him  inspire  his  son  to  worthy  endeavor.  Do 
this  by  friendly  visits  in  the  home.  He  believes  if  this  is 
done,  the  problems  of  the  school  will  largely  disappear,  in 
so  far  as  discipline  is  concerned. 


The   Zone   Pacemaker  259 

You  will  understand  how  strong  must  be  the  friendships 
that  he  has  formed  with  these  people  and  how  effective 
must  be  his  influence  for  better  things,  when  I  tell  you  that 
Mr.  Moore  has  already  eaten  a  meal  or  spent  the  night  with 
more  than  half  of  all  the  families  in  the  zone.  His  visits  did 
not  end  with  the  visits  themselves.  The  next  issue  of  the 
Pacemaker  gave  fitting  mention  of  them  and  in  such  a  way 
that  the  families  visited  were  pleased  and  other  families 
were  inspired  to  similar  generous  hospitality.  This  has 
raised  the  social  tone  of  our  section  of  the  county.  It  has 
made  the  entertainment  of  guests  a  privilege  that  is  sought 
rather  than  a  chore  that  must  be  endured,  or  a  business 
proposition  by  which  entertainment  is  bought  and  sold. 

The  Pacemaker  has  been  as  effective  in  stimulating 
group  social  action  as  it  has  been  in  stimulating  private 
hospitaHty.  It  has  done  this  by  describing  the  various 
affairs  of  an  educational  and  social  nature  held  in  each 
community  and  by  pointing  out  the  good  features  of 
them  in  an  interesting,  chatty  fashion. 

The  whole  world  is  more  or  less  vain,  I  believe.  We  all 
like  to  be  appreciated  for  the  things  we  do  which  are  worth 
while.  Country  people  are  no  exception  to  the  rule.  They 
are  human  and  have  the  instincts  common  to  the  rest  of 
mortals.  I  believe  that  one  of  the  reasons  why  so  many 
young  people  go  to  town  is  that  they  feel  that  in  the  town 
is  a  larger  opportunity  to  be  appreciated.  WTiat  they  do 
that  is  worth  while  will  be  told  about  in  the  paper.  Don't 
you  see,  therefore,  that  if  we  had  enough  papers  of  the  Pace- 
maker sort  to  cover  the  rural  districts  and  tell  of  the  big 
things  which  the  rural  people  do,  it  would  probably  satisfy 
their  instinctive  craving  for  recognition  and  appreciation 


26o  SUCCESSFUL     TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

on  the  part  of  others,  and  cause  them  to  do  their  big  work 
where  they  are,  instead  of  leading  them  off  to  town  to  seek 
and  find  their  fame. 

It  has  been  interesting  to  see  how  the  children  and  even 
the  adults  of  the  communities  await — anxiously,  even 
impatiently,  sometimes — the  coming  of  the  Pacemaker. 
It  is  written  especially  for  the  children,  but  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  everybody — young  and  old — reads  it.  Nearly  all  of 
these  people  in  this  section  of  the  county,  Hilda,  are  Swedes 
and  Germans.  Most  of  them  are  foreign  born  and  they 
speak  English  brokenly  and  read  it  with  difficulty.  In 
spite  of  that,  as  Miss  Fish  told  me  last  week,  they  all  read 
EVERY  WORD  of  the  Pacemaker.  They  read  more 
English  when  they  read  it  each  month  than  they  do  in  all  of 
their  other  reading  put  together.  So  you  see  that  in  addi- 
tion to  the  purposes  that  the  paper  was  designed  to  ac- 
complish, it  is  also  doing  a  real  service  in  the  Americaniza- 
tion of  our  foreign  born.  If  I  am  any  judge,  it  is  American- 
izing some  of  the  old-line  Americans  also.  I  think  I  can 
see  a  vast  change  in  the  attitude  of  John  Brown  and  Sam 
Jones  since  they  have  been  reading  it  for  a  few  months.  You 
see,  Hilda,  there  is  a  great  danger  that  we  who  have  never 
known  anything  else  but  America  will  not  be  able  to  ap- 
preciate it  and  our  duty  to  it  as  fully  as  do  those  who  have 
known  other  and  less  lovely  lands. 

This  little  paper  has  rendered  various  services.  The 
principal  one  for  which  it  was  created,  I  have  not  dis- 
cussed— that  is,  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  regular  school 
work  of  the  children. 

In  the  two  paragraphs  quoted  in  the  beginning  of  this 
letter,  that  purpose  was  evident.    That  purpose  has  also 


The  Zone   Pacemaker  261 

been  evident  in  every  issue  of  the  paper.  While  other 
phases  have  been  given  a  place,  the  central  theme  was  al- 
ways the  regular  work  of  the  school. 

The  children  were  informed  in  the  second  issue  of  the 
year  of  the  exact  standing  of  every  child  in  thirteen  school 
functions  as  determined  by  the  Standard  Tests.  The 
standards  which  the  children  should  attain  by  the  end  of  the 
year  were  also  given.  So  clear  was  this  made  to  the  children 
that  every  child  in  the  zone  has  known  all  of  the  year 
just  how  much  he  must  advance  in  each  function  in  order 
to  be  up  to  the  standard.  It  has  been  very  amusing  to  hear 
a  little  third-grade  child  talk  about  how  far  he  was  below  the 
median  of  his  class,  how  much  he  had  to  improve  in  speed 
or  quality  in  order  to  be  up  to  the  standard  for  his  grade, 
or  how  much  he  would  have  to  improve  in  order  to  be  up  to 
where  the  best  in  his  group  was  at  the  time  of  the  last  test. 

This  emphasis  of  the  school  work  was  a  feature  of  the 
paper  which  I  questioned  very  much  at  the  beginning  of 
the  year,  as  a  source  of  genuine  news  interest  to  the  children. 
I  thought  that  the  teachers  and  a  few  of  the  parents  might 
be  interested  in  it  but  I  doubted  that  the  children  would  be. 
The  year  has  proved  that  my  doubts  were  not  well  founded, 
for  the  children  have  been  interested  most  of  all  in  the  school 
work  itself.  Social  items  have  been  read  with  interest  by 
them,  but  the  data  about  the  class  work  and  subject  rating 
of  the  children  in  the  schools  have  literally  been  studied. 
!Many  of  these  children  can  tell  you  not  only  their  own  rat- 
ing in  the  different  subjects,  but  also  that  of  a  number  of 
their  grade  group. 

I  am  now  convinced  that  the  little  paper  is  one  of  the 
most  effective  agencies  of  supervision  that  Mr.  Moore  is 


262  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

using.  It  is  doing  what  neither  he  nor  the  teachers  could  do. 
It  is  getting  the  details  of  the  school  work  before  the 
children  and  their  parents  in  a  way  that  is  having  real 
effect.  These  papers  are  sometimes  read  half  a  dozen  times 
in  one  family.  The  statements  made  in  them  are  discussed 
and  even  disputed  sometimes.  In  this  way,  much  more  is 
done  by  way  of  taking  the  children  and  their  parents  into 
partnership  with  the  teachers  and  the  helping-teacher  for 
the  accomplishment  of  the  things  which  they  are  trying  to 
do,  than  could  be  done,  possibly,  in  any  other  way. 

Not  only  has  the  Pacemaker  aided  by  its  own  direct 
influence  but  it  has  stimulated  other  newspapers  for  the 
individual  schools.  Practically  every  school  of  the  zone  has 
its  own  newspaper.  The  school  papers  are  the  inspiration 
for  much  effort  in  written  expression.  Copies  of  all  of  the 
papers  were  sent  to  the  Pacemaker  where  the  items  of 
general  interest  were  collected  and  published  for  the 
benefit  of  the  entire  zone. 

I  wish  I  had  time  to  tell  you  of  the  humorous  supplement 
of  the  Pacemaker,  but  I  have  written  too  much  already. 
It  was  humorous  in  form  but  serious  in  purpose  and  in- 
tended for  the  help  of  the  boys  and  girls  and  men  and 
women  of  the  Demonstration  Zone. 

Mr.  Moore  says  that  a  supervisor  should  be  a  helping- 
teacher,  a  pacemaker  in  school  work  and  community  en- 
deavor, but  I  say,  and  I  can  get  plenty  of  backing,  that  a 
supervisor  should  be  a  JOY  MAKER.  If  the  supervisor 
can  be  a  real  joy  maker,  there  is  no  questioning  his  ability 
to  earn  his  salary.  If  he  can  make  the  children  really  happy, 
if  he  can  give  the  teachers  a  joyous  outlook  on  life,  if  he  can 
cause  old,  settled,  serious  men  and  women  to  get  an  op- 


I 


The  Zone  Pacemaker  263 

timistic  view  of  things  current  and  things  yet  to  be,  he  will 
certainly  be  producing  the  world's  most  needed  lubricant 
for  its  human  machines  of  labor.  There  is  no  doubting  the 
possibility  of  measuring  the  results  of  his  work  by  the 
products  of  human  action. 

I  have  a  new  resolution  for  life,  Hilda,  and  that  is  that  I 
also  shall  be  a  JOY  MAKER.  It  may  be  for  a  small  area, 
but  I  shall  do  my  best  to  make  that  little  spot  particularly 
joyous.  Yes,  I'll  help  the  other  fellow  to  see  the  better  side. 

Joyously, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

1.  A  newspaper  for  the  country  schools!  That  is  unusual.  Why 
have  we  not  done  that  before?  Do  we  not  all  enjoy  seeing  our  own 
names  in  print?  How  strong  is  the  instinct  of  desiring  the  approval 
of  others? 

2.  Mr.  Moore  seems  to  have  been  chiefly  concerned  in  appealing 
to  and  interesting  the  children.  Is  this  the  usual  practice  in  the 
supervision  of  schools?  What  would  be  the  difference  in  the  effect 
of  supervision  under  this  plan  from  that  in  which  all  of  the  appeal  is 
made  to  and  responsibility  placed  upon  the  teachers? 

3.  "What's  in  a  name?"  says  Shakespeare.  Here  comes  Mr. 
Moore  saying  that  "supervisor"  suggests  autocracy  while  "helping- 
teacher"  suggests  democracy.  If  a  name  is  of  importance  in  a 
school  paper,  is  it  important  in  a  school  officer? 

4.  What  is  the  difference  in  the  effect  upon  the  schools  of  con- 
demning the  bad  and  of  praising  the  good?  How  may  the  bad  be 
eliminated?  Should  teachers,  children,  and  parents  become  con- 
scious of  the  limitations  of  the  schools?  Why  not  attack  them 
directly?  What  are  "pharisaical  pride"  and  "puritanical  dread 
and  fear"  in  the  school  work?  Do  I  know  of  any  illustrations  of 
these? 


264  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

5.  Air.  Moore  seems  to  think  that  the  friendly  visit  in  the 
homes  of  the  people  is  one  of  the  best  agencies  of  supervision.  Is  it 
true  that  people  are  influenced  more  by  their  feelings  than  they 
are  by  "cold  facts"?  Isthecultivationof  hospitality  a  worthy  educa- 
tional aim? 

6.  Martha  thinks  that  the  little  newspaper  has  been  an  agency 
for  Americanization.  It  did  not  state  that  as  one  of  its  purposes. 
It  contained  no  articles  deaUng  with  that  subject.  How,  then,  does 
she  draw  such  a  conclusion? 

7.  I  always  thought  that  the  details  of  a  survey  were  to  be  kept 
secret  so  that  no  one's  feelings  might  be  wounded  and  no  child  or 
teacher  disgraced.  Here  Mr.  Moore  publishes  the  grade  of  every 
child  and  the  standing  of  every  school.  What  would  be  the  effect 
of  such  an  act?  Would  the  attitude  of  the  public  depend  upon  the 
showing  of  the  facts  or  upon  the  purpose  to  which  they  were  put? 

8.  Is  it  true  that  the  dry  facts  of  the  regular  school  work  can  be 
made  the  items  of  greatest  news  interest  to  children? 

9.  What  should  be  the  services  of  a  supervisor  or  helping-teacher 
to  a  community?  Could  I  list  them?  Which  are  the  primary  ser- 
\nces?  The  secondary?  What  are  the  qualities  that  would  add  most 
to  the  effectiveness  of  such  an  official? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

A  Brief  Course  in  The  Teaching  Process — Strayer.    Chapter  11. 
The  Supervision  of  Instruction — Nutt.    Chapter  II. 
Country  Life  and  the  Country  School — Carney.     Chapter  XII. 
Our  Public  Schools — Corson.    Chapters  XIX,  XX. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

WHAT  IS   SUPERVISION  WORTH? 

May  21 
Dear  Hilda: 

For  the  first  time  since  I  have  been  teaching,  I  am  able  to 
know  definitely  just  what  I  have  succeeded  in  doing  with 
my  children  in  certain  school  subjects.  I  also  know  how  my 
work  compares  in  those  particulars  with  the  work  of  other 
teachers  with  whom  I  am  acquainted  and  who  are  working 
under  similar  conditions.  Why  haven't  we  been  able  to 
know  this  before?  We  have  been  teaching  as  the  farmers 
have  been  farming — on  a  guessing  basis. 

The  war  was  productive  of  many  scientific  benefits.  We 
found  out  about  our  health,  about  our  education,  about 
our  population  of  foreign  extraction,  and  about  many 
other  things  from  Vv'hich  we  should  be  and  are  profiting. 
But  no  one  class  profited  more,  I  think,  from  the  war- 
enforced  legislation  and  investigation  than  did  the  farmers. 
In  my  judgment,  the  most  distinct  benefit  that  the  war 
rendered  them  was  the  legislation  which  made  it  necessary 
to  keep  books  in  order  that  they  might  see  where  they 
started  in  with  their  business,  and  where  they  came  out 
with  it,  and  how  much  profit  or  loss  they  had. 

We  teachers  need  to  have  some  law  passed  to  force  us  to  do 
the  same  thing  in  connection  with  our  work.  Say,  wouldn't 
it  be  a  fine  reform  in  education  if  we  were  paid  for  it  by 
tne  work,  accomplished  mstead  of  by  the  time  we  devoted  to 

265 


266  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

it?  If  we  were  paid  a  certain  sum  of  money,  not  for  so 
many  hours  or  days  of  work,  but  for  a  definite  result  per 
child  in  arithmetic,  reading,  language,  penmanship,  and 
spelling,  I  believe  we  would  see  a  new  interest  on  the  part 
of  teachers  in  better  methods  of  teaching  and  in  pupil 
progress.  We  would  not  be  averse  to  learning  a  new  method 
if  it  made  it  possible  to  earn  more  money  thereby.  We  can 
earn  more  now  by  a  new  and  better  method,  but  since  it  is 
not  measured,  we  are  content  to  take  what  our  contract 
calls  for,  and  to  be  indifferent  as  to  whether  or  not  we  have 
earned  it. 

Too  many  of  us  are  teaching  to-day  for  the  salary  and 
are  hoping,  incidentally,  that  educational  results  will  fol- 
low. From  what  I  have  learned  from  the  study  of  the  last 
issue  of  the  Pacemaker,  I  believe  we  shall  some  day  be  as 
nearly  able  to  forecast  what  a  teacher  should  be  able  to 
do  in  a  year  as  we  can  forecast  to-day  what  a  worker  in 
any  union  factory  should  be  able  to  do  in  eight  hours.  If 
such  proves  to  be  the  case,  I  believe  the  results  will  be  better 
for  the  teachers  and  certainly  for  the  paying  public.  As 
it  has  been  in  the  past,  the  teachers  have  been  "hitting  in 
the  dark,"  and  the  public  has  been  "buying  a  pig  in  a 
poke."     • 

At  first  thought,  it  may  seem  a  rather  low  basis  in 
education  for  a  teacher  to  give  certain  specified  results  for 
a  certain  cash  consideration.  But  actually  that  would  be 
far  more  fair  to  the  payer  and  also  to  the  payee  than  it  is 
to-day.  Now  we  have  a  known  reward  for  an  unknown  ser- 
vice. We  should  have  a  definite  reward  for  a  definite  ser- 
vice. It  would  make  the  public  more  fair  and  the  teaching 
profession  intellectually  more  honest.    As  it  now  is.  the 


WHAT    IS     SUPERVISION     WORTH?  267 

conscientious  and  efficient  teachers  are  paid  far  less  than 
they  deserve  and  the  ideal-less  and  inefficient  teachers  get 
far  more  than  they  are  worth.     • 

There  needs  to  be  some  definite  and  accurate  method  of 
showing  to  which  class  a  teacher  belongs.  This  should  be 
done  in  some  way  so  that  the  teacher  herself  can  see  it  and 
so  that  the  employing  public  may  know  it.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  there  will  soon  be  a  method  devised  that  can 
be  applied  with  absolute  freedom  from  the  personal  bias 
of  anybody. 

Supervision,  as  I  understand  it,  has  in  some  places  con- 
sisted, in  the  rather  recent  past,  largely  in  standing  a 
teacher  alongside  a  score  card  and  scoring  her  as  the 
farmers  do  a  beef  cow;  but  these  scores  have  all  been 
personal  opinion,  not  real  measurement.  It  seems  to  me 
that  the  only  way  to  measure  a  teacher  is  to  measure  the 
results  of  the  teacher's  work.  Until  we  can  do  that,  the 
value  of  a  teacher  is  merely  a  matter  of  opinion. 

The  public  has  been  trying  to  find  a  way  of  rating 
teachers  for  a  long  time.  It  now  uses  the  certificate  scheme 
almost  entirely.  While  that  is  far  better  than  nothing,  it 
is  notorious  for  its  failure.  What  the  public  is  really  in- 
terested in  is  not  whether  the  teacher  holds  a  first,  second 
or  third  grade  certificate;  whether  the  teacher  is  a  graduate 
of  the  eighth  grade,  the  high  school,  the  normal  school,  or 
the  college;  whether  the  teacher  has  an  A.B.,  an  A.M.,  or 
a  Ph.D.  degree.  What  the  public  is  really  interested  in  is 
what  the  teacher  can  do  in  the  teaching  of  children.  The 
public  is  interested  in  certification,  graduation,  and  de- 
grees only  because  it  believes  that  on  the  one  hand,  there 
is  a  close  relation,  a  high  degree  of  correlation  between  the 


268  SUCCESSFUL     TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

quality  of  the  certificate,  the  type  of  a  school  from  which  the 
teacher  has  graduated,  the  kind  of  degree  that  the  teacher 
holds,  and  on  the  other,  the  character  of  the  teaching  which 
the  teacher  will  do. 

Taken  on  the  average,  those  are,  no  doubt,  wise  means 
by  which  to  forecast  results  and  on  which  to  base  salaries 
and  salary  schedules.  I  am  convinced,  though,  that  there 
might  be  a  better  way  if  we  but  had  the  knowledge  of  how 
to  arrange  it.  Soon  someone  will  solve  the  problem  by 
inventing  some  tests  and  scales  by  which  to  measure 
a  teacher  with  just  as  much  precision  as  we  can  to-day 
measure  the  value  of  a  hog  or  a  cow,  a  carload  of  wheat 
or  a  ton  of  coal. 

Speaking  of  this  matter  of  measurement  in  this  definite 
way  reminds  me  of  a  conversation  which  I  heard  recently 
between  Mr.  Worthy  and  Mr.  Moore  on  the  subject  of 
breeds  of  hogs  and  intelligence  of  children.  Mr.  Moore  was 
spending  the  night  at  the  Worthy  home  and  as  usual 
the  after-supper  hours  were  spent  in  rather  animated  con- 
versation. The  subject  of  hogs  was  the  beginning  topic  and 
the  conversation  ran  about  as  follows: 

"I  notice,  Mr.  Worthy,  that  you  have  the  Poland  China 
hogs;  just  why  do  you  prefer  them?"  said  Mr.  Moore. 

''Well,  Mr.  Moore,"  said  Mr.  Worthy,  ''it's  like  this. 
You  must  pick  your  breed  of  hogs  according  to  the  purpose 
you  want  them  to  serve.  In  the  old  days,  when  people  had 
little  to  feed  hogs,  when  there  were  lots  of  acorns  and  other 
wild  food  on  the  range,  there  was  no  hog  so  good  as  the  wild 
hog.  He  would  take  care  of  himself.  Time  counted  for 
little  with  him  or  with  those  who  killed  him.  There  was  no 
market  for  meat  in  those  days.   So,  people  just  waited  until 


WHAT    IS     SUPERVISION     WORTH? 


269 


the  hogs  were  grown  and  fat,  and  killed  them  then  accord- 
ing to  their  own  family  needs. 

"When  the  people  and  markets  became  more  plentiful, 
range  more  limited,  time  more  valuable,  the  v/ild  hog,  or 
the  razorback,  became  unsuited.  It  takes  four  years  for 
him  to  get  grown.    Close  attention  and  good  feed   will 


MR.  MOORE   AND   MR.  WORTHY  DISCUSS   HOGS   AND   CHILDREN 


make  little  difference.  He  never  will  become  very  large  or 
very  fat.  He  is  too  expensive  for  civilization.  They  are  so 
expensive,  in  fact,  that  I  think  they  should  not  be  allowed 
to  exist.  We  should  have  laws  making  it  a  crime  to  raise 
them. 

"Now,  I  have  a  neighbor,  Mr.  Gould,  who  makes  a 
specialty  of  growing  breakfast  bacon  for  the  company  which 
specialized  on  the  Peanut  Breakfast  Bacon.  He  raises  the 
Hampshire  hog  for  that  purpose.    He  thinks  it  makes  the 

Successful  T. — 18 


27©     SUCCESSFUL  TEACHING  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS 

best  bacon.  It  has  long  legs,  thin  body  and  is  a  good 
rustler.   It  matures  at  about  the  age  of  fifteen  months. 

"My  purpose  is  entirely  different.  My  purpose  is  to 
produce  fat  and  do  it  as  quickly  and  cheaply  as  possible. 
The  younger  a  hog  is  that  will  weigh  three  hundred  pounds, 
the  greater  the  profit  in  fat-production.  I  can  get  my 
Poland  Chinas  to  reach  three  hundred  by  the  time  they  are 
seven  months  of  age.  The  Poland  China  is  a  hog  that  will 
respond  to  care  and  treatment.  He  will  take  a  college  edu- 
cation, I  suppose  you  might  say.  Some  hogs  will  not  take  a 
college  education,  it  makes  no  difference  how  expert  the 
teacher  or  how  remarkable  the  course  of  study. 

"I  would  be  willing  to  make  a  rule  of  this  kind  for  hog 
raising.  I  would  say  that  a  hog  that  weighs  200  pounds 
at  eight  months  of  age  is  a  good  average  hog — such 
as  the  Hampshires,  we'll  say.  If  a  hog  will  weigh  300  by 
the  time  he  is  that  age,  he  is  fifty  per  cent  above  the 
average.  That  is,  taking  200  as  the  base  or  the  denominator 
of  our  fraction,  such  a  hog  would  rate  at  150%.  Now,  if 
we  take  hogs  below  200  pounds,  their  value  decreases  very 
rapidly.  A  hog  that  weighs  150  at  eight  months  is  just  a 
75%  hog  and  one  that  weighs  only  100  pounds  is  only  a 
50%  hog.  I  do  not  believe  there  should  be  any  such 
hogs.  These  are  the  fellows  against  which  I  want  to  legislate. 
This  is  the  razorback  class." 

"Your  explanation  is  very  interesting  and  it  appears 
sound,"  said  Mr.  Moore.  "I  am  sure  also  that  you  can  see 
the  relation  between  the  hog  business  and  the  school 
business." 

"Yes,  the  wonder  to  me  is  that  you  school  folks  have  not 
been  as  keen  as  we  farmers  have,"  rejoined  Mr.  Worthy. 


WHAT    IS     SUPERVISION     WORTH?  271 

"You  seem  to  have  thought  you  couldn't  learn  anything 
from  a  hog-raiser.  I  have  often  wondered  why  you  school 
folks  have  not  been  able  to  distinguish  between  your 
different  kinds  of  children  just  as  we  farmers  have  between 
the  different  breeds  of  hogs.  Why  can't  you  folks  find 
out  the  different  kinds  of  brains  and  what  they  are  good 
for  just  as  we  farmers  have  discovered  the  different  kinds 
of  hogs  and  what  they  are  good  for?" 

"Now  that  you  speak  of  it,  Mr.  Worthy,  I  may  tell  you 
that  that  is  just  what  we  are  beginning  to  be  able  to  do. 
We  had  to  watch  you  farmers,  who  were  working  along 
scientific  lines,  for  a  very  long  time  before  we  were  able  to 
do  it.  But  through  the  work  of  a  number  of  men,  especially 
through  the  work  of  three,  we  are  able  to  do  just  the  thing 
about  which  you  talk. 

"A  number  of  years  ago  there  was  a  man  in  France 
who  went  to  work  on  this  problem.  His  name  was  Binet. 
He  devised  certain  tests  whereby  he  was  able  to  measure 
how  capable  a  person  was,  that  is,howmuch  intelligence  he 
had.  This  was  not  a  test  of  how  much  one  knew  but  it 
was  rather  a  test  of  how  much  he  was  capable  of  knowing. 
Some  years  after  that,  another  man  out  in  California  by 
the  name  of  Terman  improved  those  tests  so  that  it  has 
become  a  relatively  easy  matter  to  tell  how  intelligent  a 
child  is.  The  amount  of  intelhgence  or  ability  that  a  child 
has  is  expressed  by  a  term  which  they  call  his  Intelligence 
Quotient.  These  Intelligence  Quotients  range  from  zero, 
which  would  represent  a  perfect  idiot,  up  to  about  150, 
which  would  represent  a  real  genius.  The  average  person 
ranges  about  iod.  As  the  intelligence  runs  below  100, 
the  power  of  a  child  to   learn  becomes  less,  and  as  it 


272  SUCCESSFUL     TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

runs  above  100,  everything  else  being  equal,  it  becomes 
more." 

"Yes,  yes,  I  see  that,  Mr.  Moore,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Worthy.  "I  can  see  from  that  scheme  you  would  be  able  to 
tell  whether  a  child's  mind  belongs  to  the  razorback,  the 
Hampshire,  or  the  Poland  China  class." 

"Exactly,  Mr.  Worthy.  That  is  just  the  point.  If  we 
know  the  real  ability  of  a  child,  it  we  know  the  amount  of 
intelligence  of  a  child,  we  know  what  to  expect  of  him  and 
something  of  how  to  deal  with  him." 

"Yes,  yes,  Mr.  Moore,  of  course  you  do,  but  let  me  in- 
terrupt you  long  enough  to  ask  if  you  can  see  any  relation 
between  the  different  kinds  of  brains;  I  mean  the  intel- 
ligence which  children  have  and  that  which  their  parents 
have." 

"To  be  sure  we  can,  Mr.  Worthy"  replied  Mr.  Moore. 
"There  is  a  very  striking  and  direct  relation.  The  children 
of  very  intelligent  parents  are  nearly  always  intelligent  and 
the  children  of  very  unintelligent  parents,  are  nearly  al- 
ways very  unintelligent." 

"Is  there  any  place  down  at  the  end  of  the  line  where 
you  would  be  willing  to  apply  the  same  rule  to  the  un- 
intelligent people  that  I  would  apply  to  the  unprofitable 
razorback?"  asked  Mr.  Worthy. 

"That  is  one  of  the  most  important  questions  before 
society  now,  Mr.  Worthy.  We  must  decide  at  what  point 
in  intelligence  it  becomes  a  crime  for  people  to  reproduce 
their  kind.  You  have  said  that  a  razorback  hog  is  too  ex- 
pensive for  civilization.  It  takes  him  too  long  to  get 
grown.  When  he  is  grown,  he  is  not  very  large  and  cannot 
be  made  to  take  on  much  fat.   Good  food  and  good  society 


WHAT    IS     SUPERVISION     WORTH?  273 

will  not  change  him.  That  is  exactly  the  situation  with  a 
very  unintelligent  person.  If  he  has  an  Intelligence  Quotient 
less  than  80,  he  will  never  grow  very  large  mentally,  and 
much  education  and  good  society  will  never  be  able  to 
change  him  greatly.  The  question  is :  '  I s  he  too  expensive 
for  civilization?^ 

"The  average  person  is  like  your  Hampshire  hog.  He 
is  a  good  rustler.v  There  is  nothing  flashy  about  him.  He 
is  made  up  of  a  streak  of  fat  and  a  streak  of  lean.  By  hard 
work  and  sufficient  years  he  will  finally  mature.  He  will 
never  do  anything  startling,  but  he  is  good  and  reliable 
and  will  do  the  bulk  of  the  work  of  the  world . 

''There  are,  though,  some  few  people,  like- your  Poland 
China  hogs,  who  have  great  possibilities.  If  given  the  right 
sort  of  attention  they  will  reach  great  heights  even  while 
very  young.  If  they  are  constantly  kept  provided  with  the 
right  mental  food  they  will  become  very  great  indeed  when 
they  are  fully  grown.  The  purpose  of  these  tests,  you  see, 
is  to  locate  each  of  these  types  so  that  we  may  know  how  and 
when  to  supply  the  mental  food  and  what  to  expect  as  a 
result. 

"The  third  man  who  has  aided  us  in  knowing  how  to  deal 
with  these  people  is  a  young  man  of  Iowa  by  the  name  of 
Franzen.  He  has  worked  out  some  plans  so  that  we  may  be 
able  to  tell  when  each  person  is  doing  his  best.  You  know 
what  to  expect  of  a  razorback,  a  Hampshire,  and  a  Poland 
China  at  each  period  of  his  Hfe  in  the  way  of  weight. 
From  Mr.  Franzen's  work  we  are  able  to  know  what  a 
child  with  an  intelligence  of  So,  100,  120  or  150  is  able  to 
accomplish  in  a  given  period  of  time.  This  means  that  if 
we  should  have  children  in  our  schools  of  these  different 


274  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

abilities  (and  there  are  such  in  every  school) ,  we  would  not 
grade  them  all  according  to  the  same  standard  but  each 
one  according  to  his  own  ability,  his  own  power  to  do. 
Each  one,  then,  would  be  ranked,  according  to  his  effort 
in  proportion  to  his  ability  and  7iot  according  to  what  he  did 
in  comparison  with  the  weakest  or  the  strongest  in  his  class." 

"Well,  well,  Mr.  Moore,  that  looks  to  me  like  sense.  I 
did  not  know  that  you  school  folks  were  working  on  any- 
thing like  that.  I  always  thought  that  you  were  trying  to 
have  every  child  do  just  what  every  other  child  does  with- 
out reference  to  his  ability.  It  always  looked  to  me  as 
if  that  sort  of  plan  would  bore  the  bright  ones  and  dis- 
courage the  dull  ones.  I  can  see,  though,  that  such  a  plan 
as  you  have  described,  would  not  bore  or  discourage  any- 
one but  would  make  everyone  work  with  all  his  might  to 
keep  up  to  his  own  standard." 

"Your  statement  is  exactly  the  ideal  toward  which  Mr. 
Franzen  has  been  striving,  Mr.  Worthy.  There  is  no  doubt 
but  that  we  have  in  our  school  work  often  made  children 
bad  by  not  giving  them  enough  work  to  interest  them. 
According  to  Mr.  Franzen's  plan  of  work,  if  we  know  what 
a  child's  ability,  or  Intelligence  Quotient  is,  we  are  able  to 
tell  what  his  achievement,  or  his  Accomplishment  Quotient 
should  be.  If  his  ability  is  great,  his  achievement  should  be 
great;  if  his  ability  is  less,  his  achievement  should  be  less 
in  proportion." 

That  conversation,  Hilda,  was  a  revelation  to  me,  some- 
what about  hogs  but  especially  about  measurement. 
What  will  they  measure  next?  I  was  extremely  dubious 
about  the  whole  matter  of  measurement  last  fall,  but  I  am 
now  ready  to  beheve  that  anything  that  exists  can  be 


I 


WHAT    IS     SUPERVISION     WORTH?  275 

measured.  When  we  can  measure  the  intelligence  of 
children  and  foretell  what  should  be  their  achievement 
in  the  various  school  subjects  in  proportion  to  that  in- 
telhgence,  I  say  when  we  can  do  that,  I  am  prepared  to  be- 
lieve you  can  measure  anything. 

Possibly  you  think  I  am  insane — that  too  much  think- 
ing hath  made  me  mad.  I  think  I  can  show  you  that  I 
am  not,  though,  by  showing  you  what  Mr.  Moore  has  been 
worth  this  year  in  actual  dollars  and  cents.  I  shall  submit 
only  the  facts  that  have  been  measured,  though  he  has 
perhaps  done  more  good  things  which  are  not  measured 
than  he  has  which  have  been  measured. 

To  make  the  matter  perfectly  simple  and  clear,  I  shall 
take  as  an  illustration  the  work  of  the  fourth  grade,  only. 
Every  child  was  tested  on  reading,  language,  spelling,  arith- 
metic and  penmanship.  Thirteen  different  elements  of 
these  five  subjects  were  tested  and  a  grade  given  for  each 
element.  I  shall  give  you  the  score  for  the  middle  child 
in  the  fourth  grade  for  our  zone  for  both  September  and 
May,  so  that  you  can  see  just  how  much  that  child  im- 
proved during  the  year.  Those  that  were  above  him  im- 
proved more,  of  whom  there  were  one  half,  and  those  below 
him  improved  less,  of  whom  there  were  also  one  half— He 
was  the  middle  one  with  an  equal  number  on  eithe^  side 
of  him.   Do  you  understand? 

Scores  for  the  Middle  CmLD  in  the  Fourth  Grade  in  the 
Demonstration  Zone 

Sept.      May  Difference 

1.  Number  of  words  read  per  minute 86.2     160       73.8 

2.  Number   of   questions   answered   in   five 

minutes 18.8     36         17.2 


276  SUCCESSFUL     TEACHING    IN     RURAL     SCHOOLS 

Differ- 
Sept.        May        ence 

3.  Degree  of  understanding  (%) 76.3%  7°%  -6.3% 

4.  Nvunber  of  questions  answered  correctly  in 

20  Minute  Scale  A 7.8     12.7       4.9 

5.  Percentage  of  fifty  words  correctly  spelled     22.5     50         27.5 

6.  Quality  of  Composition  measured  on  the 

Hillegas  Scale i.i       1.9         .8 

7.  Speed  in  Penmanship — Number  of  letters 

per  minute 52.5     72         19.5 

8.  Quality  in  writing  (Ayres  Scale) 36 .8     31         -5.8 

9.  Number  of  examples  correctly  added  ....      13 . 7     S3         i9-3 

10.  Number  of  examples  correctly  subtracted  4.5  17  12.5 

11.  Number  of  examples  correctly  multiplied  3.2  22  18.8 

12.  Number  of  examples  correctly  divided ..  .  5  14  9 

13.  Number  of  examples  in  fractions  correctly 

solved o  3  3 

The  above  table  shows  the  amount  of  improvement 
made  by  the  middle  child  of  the  fourth-grade  group.  This 
means  about  the  same  as  the  average  improvement  of  the 
group  which  was  composed  of  all  the  fourth-grade  children 
in  the  fifteen  schools  with  which  Mr.  Moore  has  been  work- 
ing. When  you  look  at  the  amount  of  improvement— 
which  is  marked  "Difference,"  you  may  conclude  at  once 
that  the  work  of  Mr.  Moore,  or  of  supervision,  is  profitable, 
and  that  it  pays  to  have  it.  While  your  conclusions  may 
be  correct  you  would  not  have  the  proof  of  it  in  the  fore- 
going statement  of  facts.  Two  questions  must  be  answered 
satisfactorily  before  we  know  this.   They  are: 

1.  Do  all  of  the  grades  throughout  the  schools  of  the 
zone  show  the  same  degree  of  improvement? 

2.  Do  the  children  in  this  zone  show  greater  improve- 
ment during  the  same  period  of  time  than  do  equally  cap- 
able children  in  other  schools  that  are  similarly  situated, 


WHAT    IS     SUPERVISION     WORTH?  277 

with  the  one  exception  that  they  have  not  had  a  helping- 
teacher? 

If  these  two  questions  can  be  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive and  if  the  degree  of  difference  between  the  improve- 
ment of  the  two  groups  of  children  is  great  enough,  then  we 
can  say  that  it  does  pay  to  have  such  a  supervisory  official 
at  work  with  our  rural  schools. 

Fortunately,  I  can  answer  at  once  the  first  question  in  the 
affirmative.  Ever>'  grade,  beginning  with  the  third  and 
extending  through  the  eighth,  shows  such  phenomenal 
gain.  I  could  submit  the  figures  to  prove  it  but  it  would 
make  my  letter  too  long. 

Now,  as  to  the  second  question,  you  will  be  interested  to 
know  that  Mr.  Moore  had  some  such  question  in  mind 
from  the  beginning.  He  knew  that  he  could  not  visit  all 
the  rural  schools  of  America  and  do  this  sort  of  service  for 
them  by  himself.  He  believes,  though,  that  there  should  be 
somebody  doing  for  every  rural  school  and  for  every  rural 
teacher  what  he  has  been  trying  to  do  with  these  fifteen 
schools  in  this  Demonstration  Zone.  So,  in  order  that  he 
might  be  able  to  have  some  means  of  comparison  to  test 
the  value  of  his  work  and,  if  it  proved  of  sufficient 
benefit,  to  be  able  to  convince  others  of  the  value  of 
the  service,  he  devised  a  method  of  obtaining  the  facts  to 
submit  to  a  practical,  yea,  even  a  skeptical  world.  He  did 
this  by  testing  a  group  of  other  schools  in  the  north  end  of 
this  county  that  were  as  nearly  like  ours  as  it  was  possible 
to  find.  He  tested  them  at  the  same  time  that  he  tested  ours 
in  October.  He  did  the  same  in  ]\Iay.  He  did  not  tell  them 
that  he  had  tested  us,  nor  did  he  tell  us  that  he  had  tested 
the  other  schools.    We  knew  nothing  about  it  until   this 


278  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

week  when  we  received  our  last  issue  of  the  Pace- 
maker. 

The  children  in  those  schools  belong  to  the  same  national- 
ities that  ours  do — Germans,  Scandinavians  and  English. 
The  farmers  are  of  about  the  same  wealth.  The  only  differ- 
ence that  Mr.  Moore  could  find  was  that  the  teachers  in 
that  group  have  had  a  little  more  training  and  experience 
than  we  have  had.  Their  school  terms  are  slightly  longer. 
The  differences,  though,  are  so  slight  that  it  would  probably 
make  little  difference  in  their  favor.  There  is  one  conclu- 
sion however,  which  seems  fairly  well  justified  and  that  is 
that  their  schools  have  been  better  in  the  past  than  have 
ours.  This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  their  children  did 
uniformly  better  in  the  September  tests  than  did  ours. 

The  real  value  of  Mr.  Moore's  work  rests  not  upon  where 
either  group  were,  or  are,  but  rather  upon  the  amount  of 
improvement  that  is  shown  during  the  year.  In  order  to 
see  this,  we  must  see  how  much  improvement  was  made  by 
the  middle  child  of  the  fourth  grade  in  the  group  of  schools 
with  which  ours  is  compared.   I  give  it  below: 


Scores  or  the  Middle  Child  in  the  Fourth  Grade  in  the 
Other  Group 

Differ- 
Sept.        May  ence 

1.  Number  of  words  read  per  minute  ....     11 2. 5     165         52.5 

2.  Number   of   questions   answered   in   5 

minutes 21.6       34.8     13.2 

3.  Degree  of  understanding    (%) 79-5%  62.s%-i7% 

4.  Number    of    questions    answered    cor- 

rectly in  20  Minute  Scale  A 7.9       10.7       2.8 

5.  Percentage     of     50     words     correctly 

spelled 31.2      37.5      6.3 


WHAT    IS     SUPERVISION     WORTH? 


279 


9- 
10. 


12. 
13. 


Sept. 

Quality  of   Composition  measured  on 

the  Hillegas  Scale i .  i 

Speed     in     Penmanship — Number     of 

letters  per  minute 54 .  i 

Quality  in  writing  (Ayres  Scale) 35-6 

Number  of  examples  correctly  added ...       15.8 
Number    of    examples    correctly    sub- 
tracted           6.9 

Number  of  examples  correctly  multi- 
plied           3 

Number  of  examples  correctly  divided .         2.7 
Number  of  examples  in  fractions  cor- 
rectly solved o 


May 


1.9 


Differ- 
ence 


DS.3  14.2 
27.7  -7.9 
23-5         7-7 


8.6       1.7 


13 


10 
6.1 


Now  in  order  that  you  may  see  how  much  more  our  group 
improved  during  the  year  than  did  the  other  group,  let  us 
subtract  the  amount  that  they  improved  from  the  amount 
that  ours  improved  and  the  difference  will  tell  the  story. 
Here  it  is: 


1.  Reading,  number  of  words  per  minute.  . 

2.  Number  of  questions,  answered  in  5  min. 

3.  Degree  of  understanding 

4.  Number  of  questions,  answered  correctly.       4 

5.  Percentage  of  words  spelled  correctly.  ...     27 

6.  Quality  of  composition  (Hillegas  Scale)  . . 

7.  Speed  in  Penmanship 19 

8.  Quality  in  Penmanship  (Ayres  Scale)  ...      -5 

9.  Number  of  examples  correctly  added  ....     19 

10.  Number  of  examples  correctly  subtracted     12 

11.  Number  of  examples  correctly  multiplied     18 

12.  Number  of  examples  correctly  divided.  . .       9 

13.  Number  of  examples  correctly  done  in 

fractions 3 


Ours 

73" 

17 

-6 


Others 
52.5 
13 

-17 
2 

6 


Differ- 
ence 

21.3 

4 
10.7 

2  .1 
21  .2 

O 

5-3 
2.1 
XI  .6 
10.8 
8.8 
2.9 


28o  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

You  can  see  from  the  above  difference  in  the  amounts  of 
improvement  that  our  group  improved  during  the  year 
nearly  twice  as  much  as  did  the  children  in  the  other  group. 
Based  upon  these  facts  alone,  we  can  say  that  the  visits 
and  help  of  Mr.  Moore  have  practically  doubled  the  amount 
of  measurable  results  of  the  teachers'  work  during  the  year. 
I  am  sure  that  every  teacher  in  the  group  and  every  parent 
in  the  communities  will  say  that  he  has  more  than  doubled 
the  school  pleasures  of  all  who  have  been  related  to  the 
schools. 

Now,  to  come  right  down  to  figures  and  make  this  con- 
crete, let  us  see  what  is  the  value  of  this  work  in  dollars  and 
cents.  Mr.  Moore  devoted  one  week  out  of  every  four  to 
his  visits  to  these  fifteen  schools.  He  doubled  their  efficiency 
by  actual  reliable  measurement.  The  fifteen  teachers  re- 
ceive, on  an  average,  one  hundred  dollars  per  month  or  a 
monthly  total  of  fifteen  hundred  for  the  entire  group.  If 
their  work  was  worth  this  amount  without  supervision 
(that  was  what  the  school  boards  agreed  to  pay  before  they 
ever  heard  of  Mr.  Moore),  it  was  worth  twice  this  with  the 
help  which  they  received,  for  I  have  just  shown  that  they 
did  twice  as  much  with  the  supervision  as  they  would  have 
done  without  it.  Then  the  help  which  Mr.  Moore  gave  was 
also  worth  fifteen  hundred  dollars  per  month.  But  that 
/^  is  not  all  of  the  story. 

'  Mr.  Moore  says  that  one  supervisor,  working  under  his 
plan,  can  supervise  or  help  forty-five  teachers  per  month 
just  as  he  has  helped  us.  That  would  mean  that  the  service 
of  the  supervisor,  when  measured  on  the  basis  that  I  have 
used,  would  be  worth  forty-five  hundred  dollars  per  month, 
or  $40,500  per  school  year,  to  the  schools.    Have  I  proved 


WHAT    IS     SUPERVISION     WORTH?  281 

my  point?  I  think  I  have;  I  believe  anyone  can  see  it. 
If  this  is  true,  and  I  was  never  more  convinced  of  anything 
in  my  life,  isn't  it  an  unwise  business  proposition  to  have 
teachers  working  without  intelligent  and  scientific  help? 

Since  these  facts  and  figures  that  I  have  quoted  became 
public  this  week,  the  teachers,  the  school  board  members, 
and  the  patrons  of  the  zone  have  held  a  meeting  and 
decided  to  go  before  the  county  commissioners  and  show 
them  the  facts  and  demand  for  next  year  a  regular,  full-time 
helping-teacher  for  every  forty-five  teachers  employed  in 
the  country  schools  of  Gem  County.  I  am  one  of  a  com- 
mittee of  three  to  present  the  proposition  to  the  com- 
missioners to-morrow. 

I  have  written  you  at  such  length  for  two  reasons: 
first,  because  I  am  so  enthusiastic  about  it  all  and  I  wanted 
you  to  know  the  results  of  our  work  for  the  year;  and 
second,  because  I  wanted  to  get  my  facts  in  hand  and  argu- 
ment in  mind,  so  that  to-morrow  I  can  do  the  subject  justice. 

In  "fact  and  figure  humor,"  I  am 

As  ever, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

1.  Are  people  of  very  low  intelligence  "too  expensive  for  civili- 
zation"? That  is  putting  it  in  a  new  way.  Is  this  plan  of  locating 
such  people  a  practical  plan?  Is  the  public  ready  for  the  honest 
application  of  such  a  plan?  Are  we  teachers  wise  enough  and  dis- 
creet enough  to  apply  it  in  the  public  schools?  Does  our  present 
organization  of  school  work  lend  itself  readily  to  the  application  of 
the  Intelligence  and  Accomplishment  Quotients?  Why? 

2.  Figures  always  did  give  me  a  headache,  but  those  figures 
read  somewhat  like  a  novel.   Do  those  figures  lie?   They  sound  too 


28i  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL     SCHOOLS 

good  to  be  true.  We  have  long  since  believed  that  supervision  pays, 
but  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  seen  it  proved  by  mathematics. 

3.  Granting,  for  the  moment,  that  supervision  does  pay,  may  I 
ask  under  what  conditions  does  it  pay?  What  must  be  the  personal 
qualities  of  the  supervisor?  How  many  teachers  may  there  be? 
How  few?  What  must  be  the  travel  conditions?  How  often  must 
supervisors  visit  the  schools?  How  often  must  group  meetings  of  the 
teachers  be  held?  How  many  teachers  should  be  in  one  of  the  zones 
for  the  most  effective  work?  What  must  be  the  supervisor's  pro- 
fessional equipment? 

4.  Would  supervision  be  profitable  only  where  untrained 
teachers  were  employed?  Might  trained  teachers  profit  more  from 
supervision  than  untrained  teachers?  Would  a  supervisor  be  more 
helpftd  where  the  course  of  study  is  rigid  or  where  much  liberty  is 
allowed  in  the  selection  of  subject  matter? 

5.  Martha  seems  to  think  that  teachers  should  work  by  the 
job.  What  of  the  soundness  of  that  contention?  What  has  been 
the  reaction  of  the  business  world — both  labor  and  management — 
to  that  principle?  Does  it  produce  a  higher  type  of  intelligent 
effort? 

6.  Martha  is  becoming  more  revolutionary  as  the  year  ad- 
vances. She  is  now  about  ready  to  advocate  changing  the  standard 
upon  which  the  employment  and  salaries  of  teachers  are  generally 
based — certificates  and  degrees.  Is  that  sane?  Would  it  be  sane  if 
we  could  really  measure  the  results  of  teaching  in  some  unbiased, 
impersonal  and  accurate  manner?  What  are  the  deficiencies  of  the 
present  system? 

7.  If  it  is  true  (from  the  facts  submitted,  it  certainly  seems  to  be) 
that  supervision  doubles  the  purchasing  power  of  every  dollar  that 
those  farmers  in  Gem  County  invested  in  education,  then  what  is 
the  duty  of  the  school  officials  of  the  counties  of  America?  What 
have  business  enterprises  found  out  about  the  value  of  super- 
vision?  Is  the  public  school  a  business  enterprise? 

8.  What  is  the  difference  between  administration  and  super- 
vision? Should  the  supervisor  undertake  to  attend  to  the  adminis- 
trative phases  of  the  schools?   Why? 


WHAT    IS     SUPERVISION     WORTH? 


283 


What   Hilda  Read  in   order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

The  Value  of  School  Supervision — M.  S.  Pittman.    Chapters  I,  IX. 
State  and  County  Educational  Reorganization — Cubberley.   Chap- 
ters XII,  XIV. 
Educational  Administration  and  Supervision  for  1920 — Dunn. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE   POSITION   SEEKS   THE   MAN 

May  2  2 

My  dear  Hilda: 

It  was  so  easy  it  made  me  dizzy.  The  commissioners 
said  that  what  we  presented  was  just  what  they  had  long 
wanted  to  hear,  see,  know.  They  had  long  wanted  to  do 
just  what  we  asked  them  to  do,  but  did  not  have  data  of 


MARTHA   PRESENTS   HER   FIGURES   TO   THE   COMMISSIONERS 

sufficient  reliability    to   justify    such    action.      They    are  : 

the  business  managers  for  the  county,  they  said,  and  that  ! 

whenever  they  appropriate  money  they  must  be  able  to  j 

show  that  it  is  in  answer  to  a  real  demand  of  the  people,  j 

284 


I 


THE    POSITION     SEEKS    THE     MAN  285 

It  must  be  spent  in  such  a  way  that  they  can,  with  facts, 
answer  any  critic  wlio  may  swoop  down  upon  them. 

When  I  presented  my  figures,  it  was  delightful  to  see 
them  melt.  Mr.  Joe  Shuggarmann  from  the  fifth  ward 
was  the  first  to  speak  out:  "Sure!  Sure!  Gentlemen,  haven't 
I  been  telling  you  that  for  the  past  five  years?"  "I  don't 
think  anybody  could  question  its  benefit  after  those  fig- 
ures, "  answered  Ole  Hanson,  the  member  from  Ward  No.  2. 

They  asked  a  few  questions,  chiefly  about  the  demands  of 
"the  people"  and  then  voted  for  the  measure  as  we  asked 
for  it.  They  have  authorized  the  employment  by  the  county 
superintendent  of  four  helping-teachers.  We  have  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  teachers  in  one-,  two-,  and  three-room 
schools.  This  will  make  it  possible  to  have  one  helper  for 
a  little  more  than  thirty  teachers.   Now  just  watch  us  himi ! 

The  salary  of  the  helping-teacher  is  to  be  not  less  than 
two  thousand  dollars  and  necessary  expenses  will  be  pro- 
vided up  to  five  hundred  dollars  per  year  for  each.  The 
salary  may  be  as  much  as  three  thousand  dollars  after  one 
year  of  satisfactory  service.  This  means,  you  can  see,  that 
Gem  County  is  going  into  the  school  business.  The  com- 
missioners say  that  it  is  not  what  a  thing  costs  but  rather 
what  it  is  worth  that  counts.  They  say  they  are  not  in- 
terested in  sentiment  or  in  politics,  as  such,  but  in  educa- 
tional results,  and  for  that  reason  they  fix  but  two  conditions 
under  which  we  may  have  the  helping- teachers: 

First:   The  supervisors  must  be  efficient. 

Second:  The  results  must  be  such  as  hard-headed  business  men 
can  see  and  understand. 

Right  here,  Hilda,  I  must  stop  and  do  some  sermonizing. 
It  goes  back  to  a  statement  that  I  have  made  before,  viz., 

Successful  T. — 19 


286  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

that  if  we  school  folks  don't  get  what  we  need,  it  is  becaui 
we  have  7iot  used  good  horse  sense,  good  psychology ,  an 
the  agencies  that  are  at  our  hands.  We  sometimes  get  ourselve 
into  such  a  mood  that  we  beheve  the  parents  of  our  childre 
do  not  care  what  happens  to  them,  whether  they  learn  c 
not.  That  is  not  true.  They  do  care.  They  care  a  grea 
deal.  We  think  that  they  are  primarily  interested  in  cow 
and  hogs,  in  crops  and  money,  but  they  are  not.  They  ar 
really  interested  in  their  children.  That  is  the  reason  the 
work  so  hard  on  other  things.  They  are  trying  to  provid 
the  means  with  which  to  help  their  children.  In  their  effor 
to  provide,  they  get  shunted  into  other  channels.  The; 
sometimes  become  so  much  interested  in  the  means,  tha 
they  forget  the  real  end  for  which  they  are  striving.  It  i 
our  task  to  help  them  keep  their  vision  clear  and  their  effort 
wisely  directed. 

There  are  other  reasons  for  their  apparent  lack  of  interest 
They  are  afraid  of  criticism.  They  are  afraid  that  if  the; 
say  very  much  or  do  very  much  in  a  pubhc  way,  thei 
neighbors  may  criticize,  may  say  that  they  are  trying  t' 
"run  things,"  that  they  "think  themselves  very  smart,' 
or  that  they  are  trying  to  "get  on  the  good  side  of  th 
teacher." 

We  teachers  do  not  fully  realize  what  bitter,  insignifican 
things  sometimes  prevent  even  very  excellent  people  fron 
doing  fine  work  as  members  of  a  community  group.  P 
man's  chickens  get  into  his  neighbor's  garden.  He  and  hi; 
neighbor  have  words,  and  for  years  after  refuse  to  cooperate 
in  the  task  of  making  a  better  school — the  hope  of  the  future 
possibilities  of  their  children.  One  member  of  a  loca 
school  board  owns  a  dog  which  is  suspected  of  having 


THE     POSITION    SEEKS    THE     MAN  287 

killed  a  sheep  belonging  to  another  member.  Ill-will  is 
generated  and  educational  and  social  progress  in  the 
community  are  made  impossible  until  old  age  or  an  accident 
removes  the  dog  or  until  the  attention  of  the  sdhool 
directors  is  fixed  upon  bigger  and  better  things. 

We  school  people  must  do  that  fixing.  It  is  our  oppor- 
tunity. It  is  our  responsibihty.  We  are  paid  to  do  the 
greatest  work  in  the  world — help  Httle  boys  and  girls  to  grow 
into  the  best  possible  men  and  women.  We  must  not  let 
small  things,  such  as  interest  in  hogs  or  petty  personal 
neighborhood  differences,  get  in  the  way  of  our  great  work. 
We  must  have  vision  enough  to  see  how  to  get  around  the 
obstructions,  or  find  a  way  to  remove  them. 

We  must  believe  more  strongly  in  the  bigness  of  our  work 
and  in  the  inherent  bigness  of  the  people  with  whom  we 
work.  We  must  magnify  the  one  and  cultivate  the  other. 
This  we  do  not  always  do.  The  fact  is,  I  fear,  that  we  do 
quite  the  other  thing. 

See  how  we  teachers  have  been  complaining  of  the  tight- 
fistedness  of  the  county  commissioners.  They  were  not 
interested  in  schools,  we  have  been  saying,  and  a  lot  of 
other  things  of  that  nature.  Now,  see  what  has  happened. 
The  very  first  time  that  we  put  a  big  proposition  up  to  them 
they  came  across  in  such  magnificent  fashion  that  it  took 
our  breath. 

The  trouble  with  us  teachers  is  that  we  think  in  too  small 
sums  and  for  too  limited  units.  These  county  commis- 
sioners are  all  successful  business  men.  Some  of  them,  in- 
dividually, paid  as  much  for  income  tax,  alone,  last  year, 
as  we  asked  for  to-day  to  finance  the  whole  educational 
supervisory  program  for  the  county.    This  has  opened  my 


. 


288  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

eyes.  Hereafter  when  I  come  to  deal  with  business  men,  my 
one  fear  will  be  that  I  will  make  my  figure  so  small  that  they 
will  think  my  proposition  of  no  importance.  I  have  under- 
stood that  an  insurance. man  always  talks  to  his  prospect, 
of  a  policy  that  is  three  times  as  large  as  he  thinks  he  can 
take — the  prospect  feels  flattered  thereby  and  takes  a  small 
one  with  apologies.  We  must  use  the  same  psychology  in 
educational  affairs — yes,  once  more,  our  old  friend  of  getting 
,  results  by  suggestion. 

So,  Hilda,  Gem  County  is  out  in  search  of  four  super- 
men or  superwomen  to  fill  the  positions  of  helping-teachers. 
If  you  see  any  walking  around,  please  ship  them  to  us, 
C.  O.  D.,  subject  to  our  approval.  These  are  the  specifi- 
cations: 

1 .  He  (or  she)  must  have  an  abiding  faith  in  humanity. 
He  must  believe  that  there  is  a  giant  in  every  human  being 
and  that  what  is  needed  is  someone  to  awaken  the  giant 
and  make  him  conscious  of  his  great  power. 

2.  He  must  have  a  real  love  for  country  folks  and  must 
know  that  plain  clothes,  incorrect  speech,  and  even  crude 
social  forms  are  no  proof  of  lack  of  worth  or  the  absence  of 
power  to  make  quick  adjustments. 

3.  He  must  believe  in  the  future — the  future  of  edu- 
cation, the  future  of  his  teachers,  the  future  of  his  boys 
and  girls,  the  future  of  the  communities  with  which  he 
works.  He  must  look  backward  just  enough  to  get  inspira- 
tion and  information  with  which  to  make  the  future  great. 

4.  He  must  have  a  physique  that  is  rugged  and  capable 
of  great  endurance. 

5.  He  must  have  a  dauntless  will  that  will  drive  him 
through  frigid  weather,  blinding  snow  storms  and  shifting 


THE    POSITION     SEEKS    THE     MAN  289 

snow  banks,  gumbo  mud,  public  educational  indifference, 
and  the  discouragements  which  come  from  contact  with  a 
few  purposeless,  unprofessional  teachers. 

6.  He  must  have  a  personality  that  radiates  joy  and 
sunshine  and  at  the  same  time  commands  respect. 

7.  He  must  have  a  scientific  understanding  of  educa- 
tion so  that  he  can  intelligently  lead  his  teachers  and  his 
public.  He  must  be  able  to  guide  their  thoughts  along  lines 
which  are  theoretically  sane  and  which  lead  to  sound  and 
valuable  conclusions. 

8.  He  must  be  modest  to  the  extent  of  being  far  more 
concerned  about  the  success  of  his  work  than  he  is  in  his 
own  personal  glory. 

If  you  see  any  men  or  women  in  your  land  who  bear  these 
earmarks,  know  that  they  belong  to  us. 

We  are  not  concerned  with  their  ancestral  origin,  the 
political  party  with  which  they  vote,  or  the  church  which 
they  attend.  What  we  are  interested  in  is — a  heart  that 
beats  nobly,  a  body  that  works  efficiently,  a  brain  that 
thinks  clearly,  and  a  will  that  drives  surely. 

I'll  meet  you  at  the  University  summer  school  next  week, 

Devotedly, 

Martha 

HILDA'S  MEDITATIONS 

1.  Those  men  were  typical  politicians.  They  had  always  wanted 
what  the  people  now  demand.  Is  that  the  right  attitude  for  a 
public  official  to  take?  Should  they  lead  or  follow  public  opinion? 
How  so? 

2.  If  the  salary  of  regular  teachers  is  one  thousand  dollars  per  year, 
is  two  thousand  too  little,  enough,  or  too  much  for   a   helping- 


290  SUCCESSFUL    TEACHING    IN    RURAL    SCHOOLS 

teacher  (supervisor)?  How  much  more  experience  and  educational 
equipment  should  a  helping-teacher  have  than  the  teachers  with 
whom  he  works? 

3.  Are  those  reasonable  standards  which  the  commissioners  set 
for  the  helping-teachers?  Can  the  results  of  supervision  always  be 
such  that  the  business  men  could  see  and  understand  them? 

4.  I  wonder  if  teachers  are  too  modest  in  their  claims!  Do  small 
expectations  and  small  demands  pauperize  their  cause? 

5.  I  agree  with  Martha  that  Gem  County  is  in  need  of  some 
superior  educators.  Could  such  be  had  for  two  thousand  per  year? 
Can  we  grow  such?  Would  big  demands  for  such  have  any  influence 
in  creating  them?  Would  more  men  enter  the  school  work  if  the 
demand  were  sufficient,  the  outlook  large,  and  the  compensation 
larger  than  that  obtainable  for  other  work? 

6.  Should  poHtical  party,  nationality,  or  church  affiliation  be 
considered  in  the  selection  of  a  helping-teacher?  What  are  the 
elements  that  should  be  considered? 

What  Hilda  Read  in  order  to  Answer 
Her  Questions: 

The  Supervision  of  Instruction— Nutt.    Chapter  XVI. 
The  Value  of  School  Supervision— M.  S.  Pittman.     Chapters  VIII 
and  IX. 


INDEX 


Accomplishment  Quotient,  274,  281. 

Agriculture,  bottle  exhibit,  206-209; 
cattle.  204,  205;  Grain  Graders' 
Association,  209;  horses,  204;  re- 
lation to  spelling,  245;  teaching  of, 
200-213;  ^vheat,  206-209,  212. 

Appreciation,  of  pictures,  59-63; 
of  scenes  near  home,  62. 

Arithmetic,  attention  in,  150-15 1; 
mechanical.  149-150,  156;  number 
games,  152,  157;  speed  in,  151-153. 

Arts  or  "skills,"  57-58. 

Attention,  150-151,  180,  242,  245, 

Ayres  scale.  276,  279. 

Backward  children.  50. 

Bancroft:  Games  for  the  Play- 
ground, 236,  244. 

Band,  village,  117-118,  119. 

Bates,  Katharine  Lee:  America,  the 
Beautiful,  191. 

Bennett,  H.  H.:  The  Flag  Goes  By, 
191,  193-197- 

Binet  Tests,  271-273. 

Bonser:  The  Elementary  School 
Curriculum.  109,  148,  173. 

Bottle  exhibit,  206-209. 

Carney:  Country  Life  and  the  Coun- 
try School.  173.  213.  222.  264. 

Cattle,  204.  205. 

"Caught  List."  80. 

Certificates,  teachers'.  267.  268.  282. 

Charts,  arithmetic.  151;  hygiene, 
240,  244. 

Charters:  Teaching  the  Common 
Branches,  45,  109,  173,  187.  213. 
244. 


Chubb:    The  Teaching  of  English. 

199;  Festivals  and  Plays.  233. 
Civics,  definition  of,  106;  importance 

of  local,  107;  relation  to  history, 

105,  106. 
Civics  and  history  committee,  report 

of,  91-109. 
Cleveland  Sur^-e}'  Test,  156. 
"Columbus,  the  Pioneer,"  94,  95. 
Community    teamwork,   110-119, 

218-222. 
Composition,  oral,  80-82;  relation  to 

oral    reading,    185,    187;    written, 

82,  83,  84. 
Consolidation   of   schools,    1 69-1 71; 

173- 
Contests,  group,  249-250. 
Cook  car,  12,  13.  17. 
Cook,  pedagogical,  123-124,  129. 
Corson:     Our    Public    Schools,    26, 

129,  148.  264. 
Country  Life  Commission.  14.  15,  16, 

201. 
County  commissioners,  287. 
County  Farm  Bureau.  212,  213,  214, 

235- 

Courtis  Reading  Test.  28. 

"Crowd    psychology,"    223-224, 
232. 

Cubberlej':  Rural  Life  and  Educa- 
tion, 19;  State  and  County  Educa 
tional  Reorganization.  283. 

Current   Opinion,  at  morning  exer- 
cise, 55. 

Davies:   Social  Environment,  119. 
Deductive  lesson,  86-87,  00,  164,  173. 
Democracy    and     Education,    John 


291 


292 


INDEX 


Dewey,    principles   contained    in, 

135-137- 

Demonstration  work,  need  of,  in 
poor  schools,  22;  in  poetry,  191- 
197;  in  silent  reading,  36,  48;  in 
oral  reading,  182-185. 

Dewey,  E.:  New  Schools  for  Old, 
129. 

Dewey,  John:  My  Pedagogic  Creed, 
13O'  ^33^  146;  Democracy  and 
Education,  130,  133-136,  146,  147, 
148;  principles  contained  in,  135- 

137- 
Difficulties,  as  incentive  to  work,  100. 
Discipline,  68-77. 
Dramatization,  94-95,  104. 
Dunn:     Educational  Administration 

and  Supervision,  283. 

Failure,  value  of,  38,  44. 
Farnsworth:  How  to  Study  Music,  67. 
Folders,  penmanship,  179. 
Food,  charts  and  posters,   240;  for 

the  family,  238-240,  244. 
Franzen  tests,  273-274. 

Galpin :   Rural  Lif e ,  222. 

Games,  152,  236,  237,  238,  244. 

Geographical  Facts,  at  morning  ex 
ercise,  56. 

Geography,  fundamental  facts  of, 
161;  in  higher  grades;  166-169;  in 
lower  grades,  159-161;  in  middle 
grades,  1 61-165;  project  method 
in,  159-169;  secondary  facts, 
161-162;  teaching  of,  158-173. 

Gillette:  Constructive  Rural  Sociol- 
ogy, 119,  173. 

Goal,  importance  of,  72,  75,  246. 

Gopher-killing  campaign,  248,  252. 

Grain  Graders'  Association,  209. 

Grammar,  technical,  84-88. 

Gray:  Year  Book — Reading,  36,  45, 
187;  Writing,  181. 


Habit,  in  arithmetic,  149-151;  in 
hygiene,  241-244;  in  penmanship, 
176,  iSo;  in  spelling,  245-246,  251. 

Habit-forming,  conditions,  245,  251. 

Haliburton  and  Smith:  Teaching 
Poetry  in  the  Grades,  199. 

Health  Crusaders,  242. 

"Health    and    Happiness,"    189, 

.     223-234,  243. 

Helping-teacher,  qualities  necessary 
in,  288-290;  salary  of,  285,  289- 
290;  use  of  term,  257,  263-,  285. 

Hillegas  J-cale,  276,  279. 

Historical  facts,  at  morning  exercise; 
55-56. 

History,  teaching  of,  dramatization 
in,  94-95,  104,  105;  in  higher 
grades,  100-105,  108;  in  lower 
grades,  99-100,  104,  108;  problem 
method  in,  101-103;  relation  to 
silent  reading,  108. 

History  and  civics  committee,  report 
of,  91-109. 

Hogs,  204,  205,  269-273. 

Horn:   Year  Book — Spelling,  252. 

Horses,  204. 

Huey :  Psychology  and  Pedagogy  of 
,  Reading,  35,  43. 

Hygiene,  report  of  committee  on,  234- 
244;  situation  in  pupils'  homes, 
71;  See  "Health  and  Happiness." 

Inductive  lesson,  84-86,  88,  90,  164, 

173- 
Industrial  Facts,  at    morning   ( xer- 

cise,  56-57. 
Institutes,  teachers',  23-24,  26,  ^;i. 
"Institute  on  wheels,"  119. 
Intelligence  (Quotient,  271-274,  281. 

Kennedy:  Rural  Life  and  the  Rural 
School,  16,  19,  26,  129,  173. 

Kilpatrick:  The  Project  Method,  130, 
131-132,  137-138,  141-144,  146. 


INDEX 


293 


Kilpatrick  and  others:    Symposium 

on  Project  ^lethod,  148. 
Knowledge,    at     morning     exercise, 

55- 

Language,  games,  80,  88,  90,   225; 

oral  composition,  80-82;  relation 

of  oral  reading  to,  185, 187;  survey, 

79-80;    technical  grammar,  84-88. 

written    composition,   82,   83, 

84. 
LaRue:  The  Science  and  the  Art  of 

Teaching,  90,  157,  244;  Psychology 

for  Teachers,  181. 
"Lesser  Lights,"  131,  133,  138. 
Lessons,  types  of,  deductive,  86-87, 

90,  164,  173;  inductive,  84-86,  88, 

90,  164,  173;  problem  or  project, 

101-103,  122,  141-144. 
Letter-writing,  83-84,  90. 

McFee :  The  Teacher,  the  School,  and 
the  ^Community,  16,  109,  129,  173 

213.  233- 

McMurry:    How  to  Study,  199. 

Manual  training,  210-21 1. 

"Median,"  29,  36. 

Memorization,  189-199. 

Monroe:  Measuring  the  Results  of 
Teaching  26,  36,  90,  157. 

Morgan:  How  to  Organize  a  Rural 
Community,  222. 

Morning  Exercise,  topics  covered  at, 
arts  or  skills,  57-58;  current  opin- 
ion, 55;  geographical  facts,  56; 
historical  facts,  55;  industrial 
facts,  56;  knowledge;  55;  music, 
63-67;  report  on,  52-66. 

Motive,  value  of,  iSo,  246-247. 

Music,  at  morning  exercise,  63-67; 
community,  11 7-1 18;  folk  songs, 
64-66,  244;  relation  to  exercise, 
236;  report  on,  63-67;  use  of 
graphophone,  63,  142,  236. 


Newspaper,  school,  discussion  of, 
225,  230,  250,  253-264;  purpose  of, 
255~256,  260,  264;  specimen  pages 
from,  225,  255-256. 

Number  (James  and  Rhymes,  Teach- 
ers College  Fecord,  157. 

Nutt:  The  '  upervision  of  Instruc- 
tion, 36,  45,  264,  290. 

One-year  teachers,  22,  26,  167. 
Oral  composition.  80-82. 
Organization  meeting  of  community, 
214-222. 

Patriotism,  188-189,  191-197. 

Penmanship,  attention  in,  180; 
folders,  179;  revival,  1 74-181; 
samples  of,  176-179;  standardized 
tests  in,  175. 

Phelan:  Readings  in  Rural  Sociol- 
ogy, 222. 

Physical  condition,  of  pupils,  70,  71; 
of  teacher,  73. 

Physiolog>',  241. 

Pictures,  appreciation  of,  59-63.  67. 

Pioneers,  study  of,  93-100. 

Pittman:  The  \'alue  of  School 
Supervision,  26,  45,  283,  290. 

Play,  value  of,  73,  235-238,  244. 

Poetr>-,  kinds  of,  for  different  grades, 
199;  teaching  of,  188-199. 

Posters,  hygiene,  240.  244. 

Problems  of  rural  schools,  care  of 
grounds,  15;  discipline,  68-77; 
lack  of  professional  appreciation, 
13;  lack  of  social  life,  23,  126; 
need  for  action,  15;  one-year 
teachers,  22.  26,  167;  the  poor 
school  and  teacher.  22. 

Project  method,  definition  of,  132; 
discussion  of,  130-148;  types  of 
projects,  139-144;  in  geography, 
159-169;  in  history,  101-103;  in 
reading,  49;  in  spelling,  122. 


294 


INDEX 


Pryor:       Minimal     Spelling     List, 

246. 
Pryor  and  Pittman:    A  Guide  to  the 

Teaching  of  Spelling,  129,  252. 

Reading,  oral,  38-39,  44,  182-187; 
conditions  for,  183-185,  187;  re- 
lation to  oral  composition,  185, 
187;  silent,  31,  36,  38,  39,  185; 
at  home,  39-40,  43,  49,  185; 
general  suggestions  on,  31-32; 
speed  in,  44,  49;  problems  in,  49. 

Repetition,  150,  242. 

Responsibility,  felt  by  pupils,  73. 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,  227;  and  his 
Country  Life  Commission,  14,  15, 
16,  201. 

Ross:    Social  Psychology,  119,  233. 

Salary,  of  helping-teachers,  285,  289- 
290;  of  rural  school-teachers,  11, 
15,  16,  232,  268,  282,  289. 

School,  rural,  center  of  community 
interest,  218,  221;  consolidation  of, 
169-171,  173;  democratic  institu- 
tion, 136;  term,  length  of,  11;  See 
Problems  of. 

Sheridan:  Speaking  and  Writing 
English,  90. 

Silent  reading,  31-32,  36,  38-40, 
43-44,  49. 185. 

Smiling  Sheet,  225,  226. 

Spelling,  habits,  245-246;  matches, 
120-126,  128,  246-250;  motiva- 
tion in,  247;  relation  to  other 
subjects,  128;  subjects  used,  121; 
teaching  of,  245-252. 

Stone  Reasoning  Test,  153-154.  156. 

Strayer:  A  Brief  Course  in  the 
Teaching  Process,  90,  264. 

Strayer  and  Engelhardt:  The  Class- 
room Teacher,  36. 

Strayer  and  Norsworthy:  How  to 
Teach,  36. 


Success,  in  teaching,  71,  76. 
Supervision,    general   discussion   of, 

17-21;  value  of,  265-283. 
Supervisor,  visit  of,   20,  40-42,  45, 

227-229,  257,  263,  264. 

Tables,  showing  value  of  supervision, 
275,  276,  278,  279. 

Talent-discoverers,  89,  116,  127,  184. 

Taxes,  115-116,  171. 

Teacher,  rural  school-,  as  peda- 
gogical cook,  123-124,  129;  as 
talent-discoverer,  89,  1x6,  127, 
184;  importance  of  work  of,  89: 
kind  needed,  74,  287;  member  of 
County  Farm  Bureau,  212,  213, 
214;  one-year,  22,  26,  167;  physical 
condition  of,  73;  rated  by  certifi- 
cate, 267,  268,  282;  salary  of, 
II,  15,  16,  232,  268,  282,  289;  suc- 
cessful, 71,  76;  training  of,  74-75; 
work  of,  72,  251,  287. 

Teamwork,  in  the  community,  gen- 
eral discussion,  110-119,  218-221, 
230;  "Institute  on  wheels,"  119; 
music,  117,  118. 

Tests,  standardized,  20,  21,  25-36, 
151-156,  175,  177,  178,  271-274. 

Tidyman:  Teaching  of  Spelling,  252. 

van  Dyke,  Henry:  America  for 
Me,  191. 

Wheat,  206-209,  213. 

Wilkinson:  Rural  School  Manage- 
ment, 77. 

Wilson:  Picture  Study  in  Elemen- 
tary Schools,  67. 

Written  composition,  82,  83,  84. 

Zone  Pacemaker,  discussion  of,  225, 
230,  250,  253-264;  purpose  of, 
255-256,  260,  264;  specimen  pages 
from,  225,  255-256. 


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